Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed spoke to a gathering of about 20 students at the University of Washington-Tacoma (UWT) April 14 as part of a state-wide college tour to encourage a strong turnout among young people to exercise their rights and vote in the 2008 elections.
While listening to Reed’s speech about 20 students munched on snacks provided largely by student government member and UWT student Richard Cardenas and his wife, Angel.
“Young people tend to think their vote doesn’t count. In the 2004 governor’s race, which was the closest in state history, 133 votes decided the winner,” said Reed. “There are at least 133 students in this school who could have made the difference.”
Reed also predicted a particularly exciting election year, both at the federal and state levels. He noted there is no clear-cut incumbent in the race for president, which has not happened since 1952, and the highly anticipated rematch between Governor Christine Gregoire and Dino Rossi, the former state senator who ran against her in 2004.
Reed also noted that this generation of young people care about the issues in our world today and are actively involved in their communities, perhaps more so than any other before.
“We hope to capitalize on the remarkable spirit of this generation,” said Reed. “They are dedicated. They are savvy. They are civically engaged.”
Both he and his staff hope to translate this spirit to more political and civic involvement among this generation, who are the future leaders of the nation.
Stephanie Horn, Reed’s publication manager, echoed the same goal as the secretary. “We’re reaching out to the 18-24 age group with this event. Sixty-seven percent of this demographic voted in the 2004 elections, as opposed to the 82 percent turnout of other age demographic groups. We’re hoping to even out those numbers.”
Those who attended the event agreed that it did accomplish the intended goal, although Reed shared the time with many class schedules and the long anticipated visit from the Dalai Lama in Seattle.
“I definitely thought it was a success. I think there was a solid representation of the student body. And I definitely thought it was well organized,” said UWT senior Julio Perez.
“It was a good turnout for the time it occurred,” said Wil Johnson, student government president at UWT. “It was great for someone from the state to come and talk to our students.”
