By Rachel Stochman

Only old people vote. That’s the newest slogan on t-shirts that hip and trendy Urban Outfitters is selling to teenagers. And that is exactly what ticks off MTV VJ SuChin Pak. The Korean-born voting rights activist goes into a long-winded diatribe when you ask her about youth voting rates in this country.

“I just want to scream at the top of my lungs - You don’t think 20 million votes count?” Pak said.

Through MTV’s “Choose or Lose 2004” campaign, Pak and other VJs hope to mobilize young adults under 30 to the polls this presidential election. This year’s theme “20 Million Loud,” reflects their hope to coax two million more under 30s to vote than in the 2000 election. Pak also hopes to debunk some of the rumors that youth don’t care about politics. “Our role is to bring the issues to the young adults. And bring the young adults’ issues to the politicians,” Pak said.

And so far, Pak’s efforts seem to be working. In this year’s Iowa Caucus, four times as many votes were cast from the under 30 group than in 2000. And an MTV “Choose or Lose” survey showed a 30 percent increase in young people “definitely” voting in the upcoming elections.

Despite the rising numbers in youth involvement, politicians and

campaign managers don’t seem to pay much attention to our demographic. “How can [politicians] not care especially after the 2000 election proved to the nation that every votes counts?” Pak said. The reason may be due to the common misconception that young people are more liberal and will vote Democratic, she said. “That is just not true. Most of the youth voting bloc are undecided swing voters which makes them even more important.”

Pak even mentioned that there is a growing youth conservative base, especially

on college campuses. “The only way to get political campaigns to raise a finger for youth is to shove statistics down their throats,” she said. “You can say how important youth are for the future of the country. But the truth is they are number’s men. And that is what they will act upon. So that is what we will give them,” Pak said.

Along with meeting campaign managers to discuss the youth vote, Pak encourages political involvement by getting new voters to take part in monthly coffee chats that occur nationwide through meetup.com. Another tactic, MTV’s first-ever national online “PRE-Lection,” which will give youth the ability to cast their vote in October for the President of the United States. The results are intended to show politicians where youth stand, Pak said. “The more we speak out about what we want, the more politicians will listen,” Pak said.

While visiting college students around the country, Pak has noticed three major issues of concern for youth. Primarily, youth are concerned about the 30,000 troops that are oversees. “They are beginning to question what is going on Iraq. After all, it is people our age that are fighting,” Pak said. Sometimes overlooked as an “old –person’s” issue, healthcare is another important issue for youth. “Have we forgotten that people under 30 are the most uninsured?” she said.

The last of concern is the rise in tuitions for college especially at state universities. As fervor over these issues heightens, politicians better know that it is their time to listen. “We are out there. We do count - not just to candidates, but at the end of the day we count to the country,” Pak said.