"Cynicism and disaffection are two reasons frequently cited by young people (those between 18 and 30 years of age) for not voting. Another significant reason, but much less talked about, for the degree of youth disengagement from political life is that younger people say they do not feel well prepared to vote. And, they probably are not. In addition to the surveys that indicate an absence of civic preparedness, the most recent administration of the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) test on civics supports the youth's self-assessment that they are not as well prepared as they need to be. They lack the requisite civic knowledge.

There are a number of unhealthy implications this trend has for our democratic system of government. In a recent study conducted for The Washington Post and Harvard University prior to the 2002 elections, the number of older persons who said they planned to take part in the election outnumbered people younger than 30 by two to one. Even more alarming, according to the study, is the finding that if that trend continues, the number of people 65 and older who vote in mid-term elections is likely to exceed younger adults by 4 to 1. The study indicates that each generation is going to the polls less than its predecessors. There is every reason to believe that the trend will continue, unless concerted and sustained action is taken to correct the causes for the lack of participation. Adequate civic preparation cannot only erase that sense of lack of preparation youth feel, it can also have an overriding effect on the negative attitudes bred by cynicism about, and disaffection with, the current state of politics in this country."

The above was written by Charlie Tyer and Edwin Brown as an introduction to the South Carolina Civic Education Project and its efforts to education secondary school teachers about SC government and civic involvement by youth, and the need for college level courses as well.

Source: Op-ed column by Charlie Tyer and Edwin F. Brown, "The Need for Civic
Education"