Last week I talked about John Stossel’s quest to persuade young voters NOT to vote, and this week former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan gave her $.02 on the issue.

I’m glad someone put this on youtube - I saw her speak yesterday on Morning Joe (LOVE it) on MSNBC and wanted to throw something at the screen. (Peggy’s modest proposal starts at about 3:20):

Don’t feel like watching the video? Cool. Here’s the summary:

Peggy Noonan: Lots of new voters are engaged in the process this year. When I was 18 I didn’t know if I was comin’ or goin’. Of course I can’t adjudicate* whether some 18 year-old kid should have a vote that equals a 70 year-old business owner who’s contributed his whole life. I’m not one of those “You Must Vote” people. I worry that young people who care but aren’t informed vote anyway. Don’t vote if you’re not informed.

* (I’m adjudicating.)

I’m all for people being informed, but this is just a ridiculously ageist statement (and a politically motivated one, as well). Ask any kid what issues are facing us today (hey, look at those neat letters from the Google project) and even a 12-year old knows what’s going on. Perhaps if these 18 year-olds aren’t capable of making responsible decisions, we shouldn’t be allow them to do things like operate heavy machinery, be tried as adults in the criminal justice system, or die in our wars. Now that’s a modest proposal.

JohnStossel@abcnews.com

10 word story summary:

John Stossel thinks you’re dumb. Stay home on election day.

(Link to 4-minute snippet here.)

10 word comment on story:

Elitist. Ageist. Undemocratic. Poor journalism. Thanks for reducing voter complacency!

Indictment of Stossel’s reporting methods:

Go here.

One of the biggest frustrations I have each election cycle is the abysmal “youth vote” turnout. In 1992, the first time I could vote, most of the dorm room doors I saw had Clinton stickers on them, and thousands of students crowded the university mall to watch him speak. Enthusiasm was running really high. Sound familiar?

Then: after the election, exit polling showed surprisingly low election-day turnout among college-aged voters.

I have a couple of ideas about why this might happen year after year:

1. When you’re on a college campus that tends to lean heavily one way or another, it’s easy to become lulled into a false sense of security and assume that, because everyone around you is voting like you, everyone everywhere must be voting like you, too. When this happens, you don’t feel the urgency to make sure your one vote is counted.

2. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out where to vote. If you’re going to school away from home, where do you vote? In your college town? In your hometown? Should you change your voter registration, and if so, how? If you find this stuff confusing, check out the long distance voter website. It’s free, not for profit, and offers info about each state’s policies. The website has partnered with Rock the Vote, the Overseas Vote Foundation and Campus Compact, and calls itself a “comprehensive resource for absentee voters”. Check it out!