THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 3, 1996 TAG: 9611020044
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY EMILY LETTS, HIGH SCHOOL CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: 78 lines
WHEN YOU ARRIVE at your district voting station Tuesday the car parked next to yours may well be a dilapidated VW with a ``Stone Temple Pilots'' sticker in the window and a surfboard rack up top.
But don't wrinkle up your nose or roll your eyes, and don't be fooled by the myth of ``couldn't-care-less Generation X.'' Plenty of Hampton Roads teen-agers are on the ball politically and are well prepared to cast their ballot.
In recent months, area teens have had their eyes, ears, and minds open as the nation prepares to elect its next leader. Teens have followed the campaigns on TV and in the newspaper. Others have watched the conventions, and even done some campaigning themselves.
Kathryn Bunting, 18, a Maury High School senior, will vote for the first time. She is one of four million high school seniors who can vote.
``I'm excited! I just haven't decided who yet. There's so much you want to go over to make the right decision.''
Kathryn is leaning toward Perot: ``He treats this country like a business. That's necessary to balance the budget.''
Though confident in Perot's capacity for domestic fiscal responsibility, she questions his ability to handle foreign affairs, citing his lack of political experience.
Others who support Perot would like to see a businessman lead American politics.
But Kathryn hasn't ruled out Clinton.
``I think he's on the right track but still not quite there.''
Many teens say Clinton has what they want. He's a young candidate who, as Jovina Bryce, 15, a Kempsville junior puts it, has ``a fresher view.''
Still others value the wisdom and experience of Dole and are confident that this seasoned veteran has the connections and the know-how to get things accomplished.
According to an April survey of 700 Hampton Roads high school seniors conducted by The Virginian-Pilot, 62.8 percent of voting-age teens were registered and ready to rock the vote in this election.
``In a presidential election year, there is always more interest,'' said Ray Watson, a campaign staffer who works with local schools to recruit young campaign workers for Rep. Owen B. Pickett, D-2nd.
There are 34.5 million teen-agers in the United states, and even teens under the voting age are showing an interest in the American political scene.
``Ten years ago, high school kids wanting to get involved were few and far between. Now, many seem interested in politics,'' says Bruce J. Meyer, state chairman of the Young Republican Federation of Virginia. Even those too young to actually vote are taking action.
``We may be only 16 now, but we'll be voting in the next elections and we're going to need to know what we want in a candidate that we didn't have in the last one,'' said Nicole Hannans, 16, a Tallwood High School junior.
Whether teens are voters or not-yets, ``We're going to have to live with this leader for the next four years, maybe eight,'' said Nichole Kennamer, 17, a Norfolk Collegiate senior. Nichole knows, as do many of her peers, that, ``part of being a citizen of democracy is to interest yourself in affairs, especially those close to home.''
Kara Wiggins, 15, a Lakeland sophomore, agrees. ``I strongly urge all teens to follow these elections. A lot of issues concern us.''
Teens say many issues making the headlines have raised their concern - from those that affect youth directly, such as teen curfews and school uniforms, to greater national issues such as welfare reform and balancing the budget.
Crime and drugs are among teens' concerns. ``We're growing up in it,'' said Kyle Massey, 16, a Kempsville High School junior. Youth gangs and drugs and violence in schools and neighborhoods expose many to crime at a young age, and teens want a candidate who'll be tough on crime.
But education funding and raising minimum wage were mentioned most frequently.
``Jobs and school are issues that should concern all teens,'' said Stephen Ander, 13, an eighth-grader at Larkspur Middle School. ``Teens are more concerned with their future and their present.''
To dispel the image of apathy it is essential for today's teens to ``get informed,'' said Jeremy Holt, 17, a home-schooled senior from Virginia Beach. ``Knowledge is power. Teen-agers are powerless enough. If we want to be taken seriously, we have to be informed.'' MEMO: Emily Letts is a junior at Kempsville High School. by CNB