| Aaron Abramson Seligman |
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Revised:  Thursday, Oct. 7, 2004 
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Aaron Abramson Seligman still recalls these strong words from a Spanish journalist, which he read when he was a study abroad student in Madrid. The journalist was referring to Europeans who closely watch — but cannot participate in — the American elections.
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| Courtesy photo |
| Aaron Seligman |
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"I realized how much the president matters, not just to us, but to everyone around the world," Seligman says. He argues that students and young people here at home need to be equally engaged.
"What motivates me is that politicians talk about social security, prescription drugs, and manufacturing jobs — none of which really matter to college students. Politicians do this because only 30 percent of 18-24 year-olds voted in 2000, whereas people over 65 voted at about 70 percent. I want to make students aware of why their vote matters and to see that there really are differences between the candidates."
Seligman tries to influence his fellow students as Forum editor at Student Life, the campus newspaper. He writes one editorial and a by-lined column each week. In addition, he is a co-founder of Project Democracy, a national nonpartisan effort to mobilize and register young people. He is also involved in Rock the Vote.
"I chose to work with a nonpartisan group because I feel like politics too often involves ideological shouting without much progress. I want to break that polarized format and reach out to everyone."
Student Contact Information:
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Debra Schwartz - schwarde@charter.net, (314) 791-0647
Gerry Everding - gerry_everding@wustl.edu, (314) 935-6375
