With the recent anniversary of September 11, our eyes have been turned to the things that we hold dear about our nation – especially the health of our democracy.

Yet, if November’s election is like those in the past, too few of us who are eligible to vote – perhaps 45 percent – actually will. Whatever the reason, most Americans are simply content to let someone else choose their leaders for them.

An even smaller share of young voters – who represent the future of our democracy – will turn out. The 75 percent who will probably not vote are, in effect, yielding their voice to others.

In 2000, more than 30 million potential voters ages 18 to 30 did not show up on one of the most closely contested presidential elections in our history.

That’s not just a statistic – it is a shame.

And that number may be 35 million or more this year. What is the future of America’s democracy when younger citizens pay so little attention to it?

What you do can make a difference? Four things:

 Make sure you are registered (you can find out how from your Secretary of State at www.nass.org/sos/sosflags.html) and vote on Nov. 5.

 Challenge your friends to learn about candidates and issues that affect them – it’s easy at nonpartisan Web sites like those of Project Vote Smart (www.vote-smart.org) and the League of Women Voters (www.dnet.org) Then urge them to vote.

 Attend a campaign event and ask the candidates to ask young voters to vote. A big reason most don’t is their belief that candidates ignore them.

 If you have kids, take them to vote with you – it will do more than you can imagine to demonstrate for them how important it is.
Please. Freedom depends on democracy, and democracy depends on participation.

-The writer is a former congressman (R-Colo.) and directs the Center for Democracy and Citizenship at the D.C.-based Council for Excellence in Government.