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

Jane Eisner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 27, 2004

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Not only are those under 30 less likely to vote today than in the past, says Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Eisner, but "the political establishment wants it that way." Politicians are, according to Eisner, more concerned with issues that affect the middle-aged and the elderly than with those that affect the voting-age youth-Social Security rather than jobs, grade-school reading skills rather than the high cost of a college education. It was different 30 years ago, Eisner writes, when 18-year-olds first gained the vote and "motivation, passion and purpose ... chased them to the ballot box." Eisner sometimes offers truisms to explain the decline in young voters-she blames the media and nasty campaign commercials-and some questions beg for deeper analysis (after all, the young aren't a monolithic group, and there must be different reasons why various segments of the young don't vote). But she highlights significant issues, such as that the young volunteer in large numbers but don't see a link between their service and the role of government. Her suggestions-remove obstacles with, for instance, same-day registration; make politics personal with face-to-face contact; and (a bit vaguely) "give them a reason to vote"-will be debated, but her central concern, about the need for the young to vote, seems inarguable.
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Review

"This book deserves a wide audience, but it should be read especially by young people who are tired of being written off or condescended to. This generation of young Americans could be one of the great reforming generations in American history. It's up to them to act, and up to those of us who are their parents and grandparents to help them create a politics that is more welcoming, and more hopeful." --E. J. Dionne, syndicated columnist and author of Stand Up Fight Back

"Why is it 'not cool' for America's young people to vote, even when they look for other ways to serve their communities? Jane Eisner's engaging book diagnoses this pressing problem-and suggests ways to get young voters involved in shaping what politicians and government do. A must read for everyone who cares about boosting participation in U.S. democracy." --Theda Skocpol, director of the Center for American Political Studies, Harvard University, and author of Diminished Democracy

"When it comes to the vital need to engage young adults in our political process, Jane Eisner is a Paul Revere for the twenty-first century. Anyone interested in the future of our democracy and how to revitalize it should read this book." --Alan Khazei, cofounder and CEO of City Year

"Jane Eisner gets to the heart of what is wrong with our democracy today, offering concrete ways to get our youth to the booth. This is a blueprint for a new level of civic engagement." --Donna Brazile, chair of the Democratic National Committee's Voting Rights Institute

"In Taking Back the Vote, Eisner asks the hard question-how can we truly embed voting in our culture? And she provides very compelling answers-among them, show young people why voting matters in their own lives and make voting a celebrated ritual. Volunteering is way up in America; now is the time to systematically reengage Americans in the basic, democratic act of voting. Eisner's engaging book offers powerful and fresh ideas that help point the way." --John M. Bridgeland, president and CEO of Civic Enterprises and former director of USA Freedom Corps

"Taking Back the Vote, is both sobering and inspiring for those of us who are striving to instill an appreciation of our democracy in the youth of today. Jane Eisner validates the belief I think we all hold that civic education and engagement can make a difference, and she manages to give the subject the urgency it deserves. Her discussion of the need to put political involvement side by side with community service as valued activities in our schools is provocative and worthy of study. Her ideas and the stories she relates are nothing less than a call to action. This book is must reading for everyone who cares about "keeping" the Republic, as Ben Franklin put it." --Judge Marjorie O. Rendell, First Lady of Pennsylvania

"Taking Back the Vote, is more than an important practical guide to getting American youth involved in our democracy. This lively, fast-reading little book is an informative, passionate and persuasive argument in the tradition of the best American public debate. It should be read alongside the Federalist Papers' case for the ratification of the Constitution. Our eighteenth-century founders saw active-duty citizens as the key to successful self-government. Jane Eisner points the way for twenty first-century Americans to make that hope come true." --Harris Wofford, co-chair of America's Promise: The Alliance for Youth and former U.S. senator

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Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press (August 27, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807043435
• ISBN-13: 978-0807043431
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.4 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,592,833 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fair and balanced..., January 10, 2007

By 

Catherine R. Setzer (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Taking Back the Vote: Getting American Youth Involved in Our Democracy (Paperback)

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!