Originally Published on UWire’s Youth Vote ‘08 in 2008. The website was shut down shortly after the presidential election and thus, I do not have the exact date on which this article was published.
This election season, more young people are getting involved in politics than ever before. Here's the twist though - a lot of these student volunteers are so young that they work for an election without actually being able to vote for a year or more.
Thomas Senecal, 15, a student at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Maryland, first became involved in Democratic politics at the young age of 8.
"[In 2000], my [third-grade] teacher saw my interest in current events, and even had me writing letters to the Supreme Court to express my opinion on Bush v. Gore," Senecal said. "I started volunteering for Sen. Kerry during the 2004 presidential election, primarily because I wanted to keep President Bush from having a second term any way I could. Plus, I had by that point developed an interest in all things political (and especially Democratic politics), so it seemed like the only logical thing for me to do."
Senecal, though raised in a "stoically Democratic family," said he ultimately came to his decision to be a Democrat through issue-by-issue research on topics such as economic growth, education, energy policy and national security. Senecal worked in multiple campaigns in 2006 in Maryland, helping in races for the U.S. Senate, state Senate and Governor. All of his candidates won. He founded Teens for Clinton in support of Sen. Hillary Clinton's run for the Democratic presidential nominee. Currently, he is working as a volunteer with on Sen. Barack Obama's youth campaign.
"I have mostly been providing feedback on the best strategy to reach high schoolers and what I call their 'senior network' - that is to say, even though most high schoolers can't vote, most have a large network of older friends, parents, and trusted adults to lobby and convince to support Senator Obama," Senecal said. "I've been suggesting what may and may not work based on what I observed with Teens for Clinton and just from a high school standpoint, which is surprisingly more unique of a standpoint in national politics than you may believe."
Seventeen-year- old Republican Daniel Tillson, a senior at Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School in Virginia, also was brought into politics by a teacher.
"Back in middle school, I was lucky enough to have Brian Holoubek, former lobbyist and Hill staffer, as a teacher," Tillson said. "One day he pulled me aside and told me he thought I had a talent for politics. With a little push and some guidance, I quickly got involved in campaign life."
Tillson now has worked in every part of a campaign from volunteer to consultant, and ran his first local campaign at the age of 15. More recently, he managed the campaign of Republican Mark Ellmore, who is running for the U.S. House of Representatives in Virginia's 8th district.
"Up until last month, I was the youngest campaign manager for a federal campaign in the country," Tillson said. "I had the distinct privilege to manage a campaign for the Republican candidate in Virginia's 8th District, Mark Ellmore. With my senior year in high school coming up, I decided that it would be best for me to take a break from the day-to-day management activities."
Tillson figured out his political preferences while working on a campaign.
"When I was just beginning campaign life, I only had a very broad general idea of what I believed in," Tillson said. "After knocking on literally thousands of doors and hearing people's stories, I have become well connected in the community and have been able to formulate my own opinions based on everything I've learned."
Though neither boys will be old enough to vote by the time November rolls around, both take heart in the effect they are having on the election.
"Sometimes I forget that I'm still technically a minor, especially when I'm supposed to phonebank and explain 'Why I'm voting for Hillary Clinton,' " Senecal said. "Though I would really like to vote, I reconcile that simply by convincing many more people to vote for my candidate in place of me."
Tillson thinks the best way a student can have an impact on an election is to influence the voters around them.
"Think about it, candidates themselves only count for one vote but in reality, the winner often has tens of thousands of votes. The best way to have an impact on an election is to influence the voters around you," Tillson said. "As a 17-year-old, I won't be able to vote in this historic Presidential Election but I'm not disappointed because there are a lot of undecided voters in my immediate community that can be persuaded to vote one way or another."
Mike Connery, the writer of Youth to Power, names two reasons he believes young people under voting age are getting involved in politics.
"A lot of the issues that are driving people to get involved politically in the past few years- the Iraq war, Hurricane Katrina- are affecting these kids as much as those over the age of 18," Connery said. "Age isn't really a discriminating factor. Also, the tactics the Obama campaign uses to get people involved equally reach people under 18. The political process is talking to them in a way that it hasn't before. There are more mechanisms to reach these kids now that weren't available in the past."
Senecal believes the youth vote this year will have a strong impact on the outcome of the election.
"I think that there is a definite potential for the youth vote to be the tie breaker this season," he said. "It's particularly difficult to poll young voters (pollsters can't call cell phones), so its hard to tell how big turnout will be, but given the upswing from 2004 and the youthful excitement that surrounds Senator Obama, it is very clear that youth will play a major role in electing Senator Obama President in November."
Tillson thinks the youth involved in politics are often the ones that can push for greatest change.
"Of the voters that do show up to the polls on Election Day, the youth are always the ones with the biggest drive and passion to make a difference," Tillson said. "There is no doubt that the turnout for people our age will be large enough to make a difference and it's very important that the candidates pay attention to us."
Both boys hope to be involved in politics for many years to come.
"I'm only beginning my career in politics," Tillson said. "As I get older, I'll do my best to do the same thing that my history teacher did for me in middle school and give someone else with the same talent that push and motivation they need to get involved."
