By DERRICK DePLEDGE
and SERGIO BUSTOS
Gannett News Service

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — On Election Day, Valerie Ballard will be attending class, pursuing a criminal justice degree and her dream of working for the FBI. She won’t bother voting.

The 21-year-old University of Maryland student was inspired to serve her country in law enforcement after last year’s Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. She is not proud of ignoring what could be crucial midterm federal elections, but she thinks her vote is meaningless, the nation’s politics corrupt.

Valarie Ballard, 21 and a University of Maryland student, says she's not interested in voting because she believes the nation's politics are corrupt. "My vote doesn't count," she says bluntly. (Heather Martin Morrissey | GNS)

``My vote just doesn’t count,” she said bluntly.

Voter participation has fallen for much of the last 30 years as Americans of all ages have grown more cynical about politics, but young people are routinely at the bottom in turnout. Clever pop culture marketing, patriotic appeals to civic duty and even guilt trips have failed to convince young people their vote matters. In 1998, the last nonpresidential election, 12.1 percent — one in eight — of eligible voters between the ages of 18 and 24 voted. Overall voter turnout was 36 percent.

Many young Americans see voting as a choice, not a civic responsibility, research shows, and they do not make a connection between their everyday concerns and the politicians in Congress or the White House. And nothing so far suggests that a potential war with Iraq, a sputtering national economy or the political direction of a narrowly divided House and Senate will motivate young people this year

``Unless this is seen as a crisis, we’re at a point where democracy could lose an entire generation,’’ said Jehmu Greene, executive director of Rock the Vote, a nonprofit voting advocacy group

In 1972, the first election after the voting age was lowered to 18, 43.4 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds cast ballots, according to the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate. Youth turnout for the 2000 presidential election, which was among the closest in history, was 28.7 percent.

Youth turnout for nonpresidential national elections has been even more dismal, ranging from a high of 17.9 percent in 1974 to a low of 12.1 percent in 1998.

The problem is not confined to the United States. In Britain, where overall turnout usually tops 70 percent, just 34 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds voted in council elections last year, according to one study. A Carnegie UK Trust study recently recommended that Britain lower the voting age to 16 and allow 18-year-olds to serve in Parliament in order to stimulate more interest among young people.

Some young Americans are torn between their civic duty and their belief that their vote doesn’t count. Others value other civic engagement — volunteering for a nonprofit or a church — over voting.

``Half of me knows my vote is useless,’’ said Dan Levitan, a 19-year-old college student from Hoboken, N.J., who intends to vote this year

But Levitan said candidates often sound alike or don’t hear the concerns of young people. ``Like a lot of young people, my opinions are never going to be listened to by some politician,’’ he said. ``At the same time, I feel that I’ve got to at least try because otherwise you have no shot at getting your voice heard.

Setareh Ghandehari, 19, an immigrant from Iran who became a naturalized U.S. citizen, is eligible to vote for the first time this year but is not sure whether she will. ``I just don’t think my opinions are being voiced by any of the candidates out there,’’ she said

Greg Smith, 22, a college senior, researched the presidential candidates before voting for the first time in 2000 and said he plans to vote this year. But he confessed that he is “not excited about it any more.”

``I will vote, but I think it counts a little less,’’ he said. ``I think I can make more difference in my life through my faith as a Christian, through my job, than as a voter.’’

There is evidence that candidates can make a difference in turnout. A bump to 37.8 percent in youth turnout in 1992 was attributed to Democrat Bill Clinton, whose presidential campaign appealed to young people, and Ross Perot, whose insurgent candidacy gave people a viable alternative to the two-party system.

Young people respond best to positive messages and examples of history — such as the struggle of women and African Americans for the right to vote — than admonishments that they are wasting the privilege, according to a survey released this month by Lake, Snell, Perry & Associates.

``Young adults see voting as a choice. It’s not an obligation,’’ said Celinda Lake, the president of the research group.

Other research has shown that young people are more likely to vote if they are contacted personally, especially by someone close to their own age. Yale researchers Donald Green and Alan Gerber found that telephone calls to young people close to an election increased turnout by an average of 5 percentage points, while face-to-face discussions boosted turnout by 8.5 percentage points.

The YouthVote Coalition, which represents about 90 advocacy groups, has outreach experiments in a dozen cities and hopes to bring 1 million young people to the polls in November.

``This year is really a testing point for us,’’ said Rebecca Evans, executive director of the coalition, which will expand the strategy to other cities in 2004 if it works.

Rock the Vote, which was founded by the recording industry, has street teams in 40 cities and plans to follow up voter registration with telephone calls, face-to-face canvassing and pledge cards mailed back to people who have signed up to vote.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People also has launched a bus tour to promote voter registration and education at colleges and universities.

Setareh Ghandehari, 19, left, and Dan Levitan, 19, both University of Maryland students, believe that politicians from both major parties have few differences and see little importance in voting. (Heather Martin Morrissey | GNS)

The Republican and Democratic parties also have youth voter outreach efforts. Lake’s research found that the young people most likely to vote are college graduates and those with strong political or ideological beliefs. Young Republicans or conservatives are more likely to vote than young Democrats or liberals.

``I don’t think you can give up on any voter,’’ said Susan Walitsky, a spokeswoman for the Democratic National Committee. ``But this is not something where you have adults from the party saying you have to do X, Y, Z.

``You need to be able to connect. You need young people talking to young people.’’

Some see value in engagement.

Debbie Eng, 22, a white ``Morella for Congress’’ T-shirt pulled over her sweater, was up at dawn last week to hand out pamphlets to morning commuters at a train station. The volunteer for Rep. Connie Morella, R-Md., decided on a career in government after interning for the congresswoman.

"This is just as important, in some ways, as going to a homeless shelter or being a candy striper,’’ she said. ``I think young people are just too displaced from politics."