A special edition of “Upfront with Mike Gousha” reported only 22 percent of young adults, from 18 to 29, participate in local or state elections.

This raises questions: Why aren’t young adults registered? Why aren’t young adults voting?

Senior Ciera Sutton will be eligible to vote in this year’s November midterm elections, but she said she probably would not. “Because it’s too much,” Sutton said. “We’ve got college applications and stuff to worry about right now.”

“I will probably vote in the next presidential election, cause it just doesn’t make sense to me.”

Sutton’s views are not atypical.

 According to The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, only 8.9 million out of 39.6 million young adults voted in the 2002 midterm elections. In the 2004 presidential election, 48 percent of young adults voted.

 Young adults do not participate in midterm elections because of an invisible importance factor. This measures how important something is on the basis of whether someone wants to do it or not. The young adult voter turnout increased, only by a small amount, to 25.7 percent in the 2006 midterm elections.

Quonisha Watts, a senior who turns 18 on Nov. 1, plans to vote in the upcoming midterm elections.

“Every vote counts,” Watts said. “It’s something I always wanted to do. There’s a history behind it. My ancestors fought hard for me to have the right to vote, and I want to be able to retrieve that right.”

Jeremy Nichols, a social science teacher, said that voting is absolutely necessary.

“Well, if young adults do not vote, then the voice of your demographic is not heard. For example, Social Security. Who gets Social Security? Old people. And who pays for social security? Young people.”

Curriculum generalist Paul Gessner said political activism is essential.

“Getting involved in the election, whether midterm or presidential, allows young adults to be heard,” Gessner said.

Gessner said he has been involved in elections since he was 11 years old. “Being involved allows a person to know more about things that involve them.”