Taking Back the Vote: Getting American Youth Involved in Our Democracy

By Jane Eisner

Book Overview

Young people are volunteering in record numbers, but many of them don't vote. Why? In Taking Back the Vote, respected journalist and political commentator Jane Eisner analyzes this decline in voter participation and suggests concrete ways of reinvigorating our youth to get out and vote. Eisner uses the historic 1972 legislation that gave eighteen-year-olds the right to vote as a starting point in her book, then she traces how and why young people have slowly stopped voting since that time. But Eisner asserts that this trend of declining voter and political participation can be reversed, and it is up to parents, teachers, coaches, and others to make that happen. Civic education, Eisner feels, is the key to bringing young people back into the voting booths. High schools in particular need to be offering civic education in the same way that they offer music, math, or sports education. Registering to vote needs to be easier. The act of voting needs to be more fully recognized by society-perhaps through something like a First Vote ritual, which would mark a young person's coming of age as a voter. Filled with moving stories of kids becoming engaged as citizens as well as information for young people as they begin their civic involvement, Taking Back the Vote an inspiring resource for parents, teachers, community leaders, and all mentors who recognize the importance of empowering new voters.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807043435
• ISBN13: 9780807043431
• Release Date: August 2004
• Publisher: Beacon Press
• Length: 156 Pages
• Weight: 0.41 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Fair and balanced...

As a researcher of youth political participation I'm constantly on the look out for new and exciting reads. While this book is not so "scholarly" it is an excellent book. It makes some amazing points and is one of the best books I've read on youth participation. It's easy to read and is not geared towards researchers necessarily, which gives me hope that perhaps it will be read by someone other than scholars. It paints an accurate, yet depressing picture of political participation in America and offers very doable solutions to the problem. Jane Eisner has really done her homework on this one and compiled a book that can really make a difference. Bravo!