KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- "If more young people voted, it could revolutionize government," said UT Political Science major Lauren Harding. "It could dynamically change the issues that candidates focus on and the kind of policy decisions that they make."

This is why it is so important that young Americans take part in the upcoming Presidential election. By participating in government and becoming politically informed, students would increase the chances of electing a candidate that shares similar beliefs and opinions on important issues.

In the 2004 Presidential election, a trivial 47 percent of 18 to 24 year olds that were eligible to vote cast a ballot in the elections.

The lack of participation in elections leads to greater problems in the United States. According to Harding, this shows that American democracy is not functioning at its full potential; if this problem goes unresolved, it could also damage the stability of the U.S. government.

"Participation in voting is essential, in that this is one of the main ways that we as citizens influence our government," Harding said. "How can our elected representatives actually represent our needs and interests if we do not articulate those interests through voting? When a significant proportion of the population doesn't vote, their needs and interests are underrepresented or even ignored by policymakers. Therefore, we end up with policies that do not reflect the needs and best interests of the entire nation." 

Because young Americans generally do not vote at the same rate as older Americans, many politicians do not feel the need to target this age bracket. Students' wishes and needs are left unaddressed, effectively removing their voice in democracy.

According to the Youth Vote Coalition, the top three concerns among young voters are terrorism, the economy and crime. A Pew Research Poll found that terrorism, health care and immigration are the top three issues among voters outside of the 18-24 age bracket.

While some issues are universally important, young Americans need to realize that by failing to vote, elected officials will not give the same amount of focus on fulfilling their desires. 

"It's not that candidates simply ignore younger voters, but that resources are not infinite and candidates often must prioritize their efforts," said Chad DeWaard, a political science professor at UT. "Younger voters, quite frankly, are not the potent political force that labor unions, retired citizens, professionals, and so on have become." 

With the ever-changing landscape of politics, it is essential that students begin to research Presidential candidates and participate in elections now rather than later. 

"Being informed better equips one to intelligently evaluate candidates and policy," DeWaard said. "The uninformed individual is more easily swayed by emotion or rhetoric and is less capable of protecting himself against flawed or abusive policy."

Tennessee's primary election will take place on Feb. 5, commonly known as "Super Tuesday." The outcome of the primary will determine the presidential candidates for both the Democratic and Republican parties.

Get Involved in 2008

The amount of information available about the candidates makes it simple for young Americans to find the candidate whose beliefs most line up with their own. The following are all strong resources of information about the presidential candidates:

• Fox News
• CNN
• The Washington Post

If you are a Tennessee resident and not yet registered to vote, the following website provides information on registering to vote:

• Register to Vote