[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 110 (Wednesday, September 4, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1492-E1493]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       DAVID SKAGGS AND THE CENTER FOR DEMOCRACY AND CITIZENSHIP

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 4, 2002

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate your 
former colleague and my predecessor, former Congressman David Skaggs, 
on his appointment as executive director of the Center for Democracy 
and Citizenship.
  Throughout his career David has been a dedicated public servant. He 
has represented Coloradans on both the state and federal level. During 
his twelve years serving Colorado here in the House of Representatives 
he did extensive work on public lands and environmental issues, 
advocated the rights of nonprofit organizations, and supported basic 
research and higher education. He worked to promote bipartisan 
civility, and played a key role in helping to start an annual 
Bipartisan Retreat. Throughout his tenure on Capitol Hill, David was an 
effective and devoted representative of the people of Colorado.
  David's post-congressional career is just as exemplary. Now, along 
with serving as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Colorado and 
being of Counsel to a Washington based law firm, he is the executive 
director for the Center for Democracy and Citizenship.
  The Center's focus is to find ways to make the institutions of 
America's democracy work better. One project started by the Center is 
the Young Voter Initiative. The goal of the project is to encourage 
voting by some 30 million young people who are ambivalent about 
political participation. The Center meet with six groups of young 
adults ages 18-21 and asked what would be the most effective way to 
reach young voters. From the group's ideas the Center developed a ``A 
Candidate's Tool Kit for Reaching Young Americans'' as a practical 
guide of actions candidate's can take to promote the involvement of 
young people. The hope is that, as a result of this project, the Center 
can improve America's democracy by increasing the involvement of the 
citizenry.
  David has repeatedly proven himself to be completely dedicated to the 
service of our nation and the improvement of our democracy. The Center 
for Democracy and citizenship is fortunate to have the leadership of 
such an inspiring individual, as noted in the following editorial from 
the Boulder Daily Camera:

                 [From the Daily Camera, Aug. 1, 2002]

                             Vote? Who, Me?


            80% of young people won't, unless trend changes

       Former U.S. Rep. David Skaggs shouldn't have to spend part 
     of his time looking for ways to persuade reluctant young 
     people that voting makes a difference. He's doing the job 
     because the rest of us haven't.
       This would be a different country if young people heard a 
     stronger message from parents, schools and communities about 
     participation in democratic life; if older adults were a 
     little less inclined to declare that voting doesn't matter or 
     that elected officials

[[Page E1493]]

     are crooks; and, yes, if politicians themselves could 
     restrain some of their impulses to demean not only their 
     opponents but government itself.
       But it wouldn't be the United States, where cynicism about 
     public life was a part of the environment in which today's 
     young people grew up. Partly for that reason, voter turnout 
     among young Americans is low--and getting lower. Fewer than 
     one in three Americans under 25 voted in the last two 
     presidential elections. If past trends hold, fewer than one 
     in five will vote in this midterm election.
       The past two years have created an opportunity for change. 
     If any event could send the message that ``your vote 
     counts,'' it was the 2000 presidential election, in which the 
     candidates were separated by so few votes that a handful of 
     people might have tipped the balance, kept the election out 
     of the courts and literally changed the course of history. 
     And after Sept. 11, who can say with a straight face that 
     ``government doesn't make a difference in my life''?
       Young Americans may find in those events a new incentive to 
     vote--but that's a hope, not a guarantee. There's still a 
     lack of communication to overcome. Young people often report 
     that they don't vote because candidates don't speak directly 
     to them; candidates often don't seek out young voters because 
     they don't vote.
       No one initiative or individual can break this cycle, but 
     David Skaggs is doing his part. A Democrat who represented 
     the 2d Congressional District for 12 years in the House of 
     Representatives, Skaggs now serves as executive director of a 
     Washington-based outfit called the Center for Democracy and 
     Citizenship. One of its projects is designed to help 
     political candidates reach out to young voters.
       The center has made available to thousands of political 
     candidates across the country a ``tool kit'' of background 
     information and common-sense guidance on reaching young 
     voters. Candidates who study the material will find that it 
     punctures a few stereotypes about young people. They're often 
     disengaged from politics but aren't cynical as a group about 
     the world around them; they're evenly divided in their 
     political preferences and not wedded to any one party.
       There's no need to dwell on details intended for candidates 
     rather than the general public. It's worth noting, though, 
     that many of the suggestions for reaching young people would 
     be sound advice for reaching any group of voters. Meet them 
     on their own turf. Make it easy for them to find information. 
     Do not adopt a ``youth agenda,'' because young people care 
     about the same issues their elders do. Do not, under any 
     circumstances, pretend to be one of them; they'll spot a 
     phony in a minute. Show the connection between their concerns 
     and the election results.

     

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