NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – AARP for young people. That’s how the 22-year-old executive director of Virginia21, a fledgling group that uses a youth-oriented political agenda to entice college students to vote, says he envisions the upstart.
“As a generational advocate, they were very influential,” said Jesse Ferguson, a 2003 graduate of the College of William and Mary and the only paid employee of Virginia21. “We only hope to be that influential.”
As the American Association of Retired Persons endorses prescription drug benefits and other legislation relevant to its constituents, Virginia21 has attached itself not to a political party but to an issue that directly affects the 18-to-24 demographic: funding for higher education.
In less than six months since its inception, Virginia21 has garnered participation from thousands of students via absentee voter applications and an online petition. But it remains to be seen, political experts say, whether the organization can nail down the long-term political involvement that has historically proved elusive among young adults.
Studies confirm that young voters make a weak showing at the polls. Federal statistics found that far fewer people between the ages of 18 and 24 voted in the 2000 national election than did other age groups.
“In this age group, it’s difficult to keep them interested and involved in politics,” said Ken Stroupe, chief of staff for the Center for Politics, a University of Virginia research organization.
College students are a transient group, Stroupe explained, and often feel disconnected from their home away from home.
“If you wait until the age when a person can vote, you’ve probably waited too long,” Stroupe said.
A study released this fall by the Center for Politics found that Virginia high school students are not being adequately prepared to participate in elections. Little more than half of students polled could name one of Virginia’s senators.
Ferguson acknowledges the challenges. Although Virginia21 was established as an advocacy organization, it also attempts to fill gaps in civic education by posting candidate positions and other information on its web site.
Virginia21 relies heavily on the Internet. Student body presidents at 15 public colleges who form the organization’s steering committee drum up attention through campus-wide e-mails and instant messages. Some model the approach partly after their own campaigns for campus office.
Within a month, “e-Storm the Statehouse” campaigns on public campuses have produced nearly 6,000 signatures for an online petition asking Gov. Mark Warner and the General Assembly to boost financial support of colleges and universities.
Virginia21 plans to run the petition campaign through the end of the academic semester and send the finished product to the governor on Dec. 19. During winter break, Boyd said, about a dozen students from each member school will visit offices of their hometown representatives to discuss a range of higher education issues and push for online absentee voter registration.

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