Historian Jennifer Frost is publishing a book titled, “Let Us Vote,” dedicated towards the significant events that led up to the 26th amendment in 1971, which granted youth voting rights in America.
Admittedly, I’m unfamiliar with American politics. Although I am more familiar with the roles of culture and ethnicity. Hence it stands, that the politics of voting are also a race issue.
During the 1970s the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), was a civil rights movement that altered their agenda to specifically promote and enable youth voting rights. Their significance is evident in how Frost stated that without the NAACP, youth voting rights wouldn’t have progressed and succeeded so far so fast.
Both Barack Obama and Donald Trump have strong racial politics. Hence, it can be inferred that this played a significant role in why these campaigns were only two of the three presidential elections, where youth voting rights historically increased.
As a mirror image to America, NZ shows similar results with low youth voting turnouts. However, more so for Maori and Pacific people. With voter suppression involving factors such as low-socioeconomic communities, lack of education about voting rights and unstable residency’s to name a few. These holes project themes of institutionalized privilege and racism, that not only stems into voting systems but is maintained.
Which only raises the question of how can we level the playing field?
Frost’s seminar made me question the extent of a cultural lens. But only through simultaneously confronting these issues, through a holistic approach have I found clarity (and many more questions). Her research was not only intriguing but further revealed the true nature of research is not to answer questions but to generate more of them.
I hope to someday be able to answer some of my own.
