By AUSTIN DEFOOR on behalf of the ODYSSEY Newsmagazine Editorial Board
Rewind to this time four years ago.
Two fresh, new presidential candidates were preparing for war, arming their fearsome troops of campaign interns and rallying civilians to support their side as they marched through en route to the battle fields of swing states.
Battle colors appeared on the bodies of students around the country as they chose to which side they would grant their loyalties. The battle cries of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and now incumbent President Barack Obama could be seen or heard through any medium available to teenagers and young adults.
Now consider this present election.
The gruesome battle has once again been re-kindled by the flaming rhetoric dispelled from the mouths of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and the commander in chief. The draft has started again; recruitment is booming. Enlist at the nearest polling precinct.
But where has the support from the highly impressionable teen demographic gone? Where are the t-shirts, the buttons, the stickers and window clings? How can one distinguish between a civilian and a soldier? What kind of guerilla tactics are these?
During the 2012 election season, the change has been evident in the halls of Clarke Central High School.
Very few students are seen bearing the colors, chanting the battle cries or actively recruiting for their respective general. Only small skirmishes arise between them after battles the previous night on the campuses of the University of Denver, Hofstra University and Lynn University; the Gettysburgs, Antietams and Vicksburgs for the chosen winners.
But there are no fresh faces, young soldiers to boost morale and strengthen the war effort or eager young men and women chomping at the bit to fulfill their most important civic duty.
This indifference does not thrive solely at CCHS. According to the Pew Research Center, only 18 percent of young voters aged 18-29 were following campaign news closely in September. In September 2008, the amount was nearly double at 35 percent.
This indifference is also contributing to voting apathy among young voters.
In September 2008, according to PRC, 72 percent of young voters were definitely planning on casting a ballot. Four years later, the number dropped to 63 percent.
But it is not only the young voters displaying this lack of concern for the election season. Students under voting age are not choosing sides either.
The recruits have gone into hiding. No red or blue. No metaphorical bloodshed. War does not seem imminent.
