Apathy and ignorance are supposed to account for the fact that young people seem to avoid voting in droves. One young activist, vigorously involved in the 1996 election and well aware of the struggle behind the right to vote, explains why she chose to abstain this year. PNS commentator Gabrielle Turner writes for YO! (Youth Outlook), a monthly magazine by and about young people published by Pacific News Service.

Guess who stayed away from the polling booth?

Yours truly -- the one who was at the forefront last year, trying to get my fellow college students to head out to the voting booths and overcome the racist ideology known as Prop 209 -- the anti-affirmative action initiative on the 1996 ballot.

You say, "Every vote counts." Yeah, but I doubt it. "We must all band together to fight the oppressor." True, but I am tired and there are things I have to do -- no time for voting.

Last time I voted. I was there. I raised my fist and felt as if I had moved back in time. I was beautiful and strong.

But I woke up and we lost. Big time.

So am I giving up? Have I become just another young person who has rejected the beautiful gift of American democracy? Yeah, in a way. I didn't vote because I honestly don't think my vote counts.

Coupled with about a couple hundred thousand or so my vote counts. But I am just one young inner city girl who believes that voting for a certain candidate is like picking the lesser of two evils -- one who will do nothing for my people but try to impress me by showing up at a few Black Baptist churches at the last minute,  the other did nothing but sling mud at his opponent.

Don't get me wrong. It's not that politics are just too big for me to understand or that I don't believe in the political process. I do believe in it, and I respect it -- I show my respect by not showing up at the voting booth unprepared.

But what about being heard? What about standing up and being seen?

I guess that the root of why I did not vote yesterday is this. I don't think anyone cares about me or my views. I will still spit them out to whoever will listen. And while I do wholeheartedly appreciate the struggle my people went through to vote, I am so aware that even in "liberal" California there is a large majority anxiously waiting to hinder any attempt at equality.

The plain and simple truth is that if you take a majority of people who don't care about other cultures, and couple that with a group of people who have tried so long -- just to see it all seem to seep through their fingers, you will end up with discontent during voting season.

Discontent. I am discontented. I am confused, and I will not vote. At this point in my life, in just trying to live day by day, I don't have the energy to cast my views in my votes just to see the "majority" laugh at me again and the "minority" hunch their shoulders over even farther.