Politics -- Plug In!

With the 2004 elections just around the corner, questions about youth and political participation have fallen into the spotlight once again. While nearly every study confirms that turnout among younger Americans is dishearteningly low, several recent trends in politics point to shifting attitudes. As Berkman Center Executive Director John Palfrey and Larry Harris, president of United Leaders, explain in an op-ed in today's Boston Globe, a record 70% of college students participate in community service activities. And new technologies like weblogs and social networking software have helped transform the typical "Rock the Vote" audience from spectators to participants. According to the authors, these trends offer hope for a new political mantra: "show up and... plug in."