the bulletin of the winter CENTER FOR ı GOVERNMENTAL spring STUDIES 2000 UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA Center Prepares to Launch Youth Leadership Initiative Statewide PRESIDENT CLINTON, Barbara ipate were coming from all over Bush, Tipper Gore, Governor James Virginia, and there have even been Gilmore, Senator John McCain, localities outside the state asking how Senator John Warner, Senator Charles they can get involved with the pro- Robb, Sam Donaldson, Senator Emily gram,” stated YLI Director Ken Couric, Delegates Paul Harris and Stroupe. Mitch Van Yahres. What do these state As a result, what started out in the and national leaders have in com- first half of the school year as a test “As more people became mon? Certainly not political party project in Charlottesville and affiliation. But over the course of the Albemarle County has quickly expand- aware of the pilot project, the last year they have all demonstrated a ed to include schools in the commitment to the youngest genera- Shenandoah Valley, the central tion of Americans by supporting and Piedmont region, the City of Danville, requests to participate were participating directly in the pilot proj- and Henrico County. ect of the Youth Leadership Initiative. “We’ve been adding new schools coming from all over Virginia, With student-conducted debates; throughout the school year. In the the largest online mock election in the process we have been fine tuning the nation; student-hosted community program and now we look forward to and there have even been symposia; and a rigorous academic offering it to all Virginia schools,” stat- curriculum specifically linked to the ed CGS Program Director Alex Virginia Standards of Learning, the Theodoridis. localities outside the state success of the program has been over- whelming. Now the Center is making How It All Began asking how they can get final arrangements for the official Just one year ago, the Center moved statewide launch of the Youth forward on an idea to select student Leadership Initiative in public and pri- Youth Leaders in participating schools involved with the program.” vate middle and high schools through- to assist their teachers with the imple- out the Commonwealth in August. mentation of a new and largely unfa- –Ken Stroupe “As more people became aware of miliar Youth Leadership Initiative. the pilot project, the requests to partic- Forty talented students were nominat- ➛“E-voting” is a signature component of YLI. #!Senator John Warner discusses youth involvement with high school students from Albemarle County. Henley Middle School students YLI student leaders meet with CHS senior Jay Farmer listens as make last minute adjustments with Senator John McCain. candidates for the Virginia General State Senator Emily Couric before Assembly debate campaign issues. YLI Senate debate. ed by their teachers and selected to general election voters attended the and challenging questions. lead the citizenship program by first two YLI debates with candidates Topics for the debate included conducting mock campaigns, host for the Virginia General Assembly. school safety, the death penalty, debates and conduct townhall meet- The debates were live-broadcast, charter schools, managed heathcare ings. But, as the students quickly public events that were conducted systems, school vouchers, education learned, their biggest challenge was entirely by the first class of Youth funding, and lottery profits. Faced not the rigorous schedule of YLI Leaders. Delegate Paul Harris (R-58th with such straightforwardness, the 2 events. Rather, it was finding a way District) took on Democratic chal- candidates themselves replied with to convey their energy and interest lenger Ed Wayland (D) at the first responses that quickly helped the in government and politics to all the debate, while the second featured students and the general public other students at their school. True Virginia state Senator Emily Couric learn who stood for what before the to their role as Student Leaders, as (D-Charlottesville) and Republican upcoming election. the school year progressed student challenger Jane Maddux. “Thank you for hosting the interest and participation—as well CGS founder Larry Sabato debate at Monticello High School,” as that of the general public—did opened the first debate with a word wrote the parent of a participating indeed grow rapidly. of caution to the candidates: “These student. “My son has never had any 2000 students don’t know what not to political interest until this YLI Hosts First Student-Conducted ask.” Indeed, as the debates pro- debate…You have definitely made a spring ı Debates gressed, two things became very future voter out of my son.” As late fall approached, election sea- clear: the students knew their stuff, Would that level of interest hold winter son was in full swing as hundreds of and they weren’t afraid to ask direct true for all the other thousands of participating students? The YLI Pilot ON THE AGENDA Project was about to find out. YLI Mock Elections—Would They Vote? In the coming months there will be even more inno- The Youth Leadership Initiative was vation and excitement in the Youth Leadership developed according to the theory Initiative. that if government, politics and the Early spring will see the launch of the new YLI electoral process were presented in a website that will further integrate the program and manner that interested young peo- make it accessible for students in every public and ple, they in turn would be interested private middle and high school in Virginia. The new and active participants in the elec- site will serve as a ready resource and information guide for all YLI initiatives, toral process. There could be no bet- including its educational mission, civic participation projects, and other communi- ter proof of such a conviction than ty activities. The YLI website will also be the online location for webcast debates, success with the fundamental event as well as the secure poll-site for the YLI Internet-based Mock Election that will of elective democracy: an election. If scale to the entire state for the November election. students could be inspired not only Growing out of the training sessions last fall, the Youth Leadership Initiative to participate in, but also to help will host a Summer Camp and Training Seminars for students and teachers in July run, an election—with real ballots, on the historic grounds of Thomas Jefferson’s University. voting stations, tabulation, and media coverage—it would show that THE YOUTH LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE IS ALSO DESIGNING AN INTERACTIVE CAMPAIGNS AND ELECTIONS the YLI had developed an antidote CD-ROM FOR ROLLOUT IN AUGUST. THE CD ROM WILL CONTAIN: to political apathy among America’s • Interactive versions of all YLI citizenship course units; young. • The YLI Town Square where students will have access to the most comprehensive list of local civic organ- Going into the project, however, izations available online including contact names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses for most national statistics and polls their elected officials, local governments, and civic and community organizations; suggested that the challenge was • A YLI “polling consultant” to create and conduct classwide or schoolwide surveys and analyses; nearly insurmountable. Voter partic- • An extensive “Facts” data base that converts to classroom exercises using political and historical ipation in 1996 among young peo- trivia; and ple (age 18-24) was less than 30%. • An impressive interactive exercise that allows students to manage the intricacies of a U.S. Senate cam- During the 1998 mid-term paign, from announcement through Election Day, in the hypothetical state of “Columbia.” Congressional elections, voter turnout was the lowest it had been since 1942. And with a voter ballot based on the location of a voting online, Virginia again made turnout rate of less than 15% that student’s school, new technology history by conducting the largest same year, it was young people who enables us to offer each student the Internet election in the nation’s his- showed the greatest level of disinter- same ballot their parents use in a tory. Reported by state and national est. So the question was a troubling general election,” said Theodoridis. media, thousands of YLI students one. Many had registered, but demonstrated the use of secure, would they actually vote? YLI Students Conduct the Largest encrypted cyber-ballots that were 3 The Youth Leadership Initiative Internet Ballot in the Nation’s History individually customized to their did have one ace up its sleeve: as No one could have anticipated the home precincts. Election Day approached, students level of participation and the result- “I e-voted!” exulted one student learned that the days of the old ing impact of the first YLI Mock as she exited the polling station. paper ballots and counting by hand election. On Tuesday, October 26, That phrase, e-voting, caught on were a thing of the past. With tech- 1999—one week before the quickly, and is now used by the nology as a signature component of November general election was held Youth Leadership Initiative to winter the program, the YLI unveiled a in Virginia—YLI students went to describe its online balloting process. state-of-the-art cyber ballot for the the polls and participated in what As a result of the success of the YLI’s ı student mock election, with ballots became one of the most watched first Internet-based mock election, spring individually tailored according to and exciting events of the Youth State Senator Emily Couric (D- each student’s home voting location. Leadership Initiative. Charlottesville and the first Senator 2000 “Rather than vote with a generic With more than 5,000 students continued on page 14 OF THE MANY PROBLEMS in American political life today, none looms so large as the crisis of non-participation: the United States consistently has the low- est voter turnout of any industrial democracy.