The Lack Of Votes Tomorrow

It's the morning after and it looks as if "Four More Years" is no longer a slogan, but a mandate. Voter turnout was at an all time high nationwide. People stood in line for hours at schools, fire houses, churches and other voting locations because of the importance of the issues and the positions up for grabs. But who were actually standing in those lines? I saw several television network polls throughout the night analyzing voter demographics, and they were pretty consistent. From the conservative Fox News to the more liberal NBC, the numbers showed that well over 55 percent of those voting in this election were 45-years and older. I had noticed that myself while standing in line to early vote last week. So, where were the young voters? There was a major push to get first-time voters registered and to the polls by both Democrats and Republicans. Even the clout of MTV and celebs such as Sean "P Diddy" Combs couldn't pull the trigger. According to the polls only 17 percent of those casting a ballot yesterday were young registered voters . . . the same number as in the 2000 election. I know the voting age kids in my family didn't make the effort. It just didn't interest them. They were too busy. Something else came up. So I have to ask, what will interest and motivate them enough to participate in the democratic process that has guided this nation for more than 200-years? This is the generation that howled when online music provider Napster was nailed by the government and they lost their free music downloads from the Internet. Yet these young people can't find the time to help select the leaders of this great nation and help chart its future. Time is running out on the generations that decided this election. Baby boomers are getting older and many of their parents will soon be casting their final ballots. Only time will tell if the selections made yesterday were good ones, but it's the lack of votes tomorrow that worries me.