Many of the sideshows to the Democratic National Convention were designed with the young voter in mind. As a writer for a college newspaper, and more importantly, a college student, I roamed the FleetCenter in search of the prevailing wisdom on how to best attract citizens in the 18-to-24 demographic to the voting booths in November. Though I received answers, the current status of the newest members of the American electorate is not nearly what it should be.Granted, the middle-aged and elderly are recipients of far more social programs than those in the 18-to-24 range. But this does not mean the issues facing our parents and grandparents are of no concern to our generation. Although those issues are of concern to us, there are other issues which are equally, if not more important to our generation. We pay taxes, we are subject labor trends and we serve in the military. College loans, government subsidies for education and research grants are all subject to federal policy, as well. Not to be harsh, but too many young potential voters fail to grasp that there are just as many issues affecting us as there are with the age groups that get face time with the candidates.

But we don't vote in overwhelming numbers. One statistic that has flown around for the past four years and is mentioned frequently is that in 2000, approximately one third of 18-to-24-year-olds voted in the presidential election. Had young voters turned out at the polls in greater numbers, they could have tipped the scale in New Hampshire, West Virginia and Florida-states where President Bush won the popular vote by the smallest of margins.

The main thrust of the convention sideshows directed at America's youth focused almost entirely on voter registration. While this is the first and most important step toward increasing the percentage of our generation that votes, it has been the only step taken by the political establishment. However, registration is only the beginning; we need to hear about policy, too.

Suchin Pak, a correspondent for MTV's news operation is one of the main spokespeople for the New Voters Project and her network's quadrennial "Choose or Lose" programming, wisely pointed out some of the policy issues facing my generation at an event on the first day of the Democratic convention. Young people often work for minimum wage or only slightly higher, and with the last increase in the federal minimum wage coming during the middle of the Clinton years, we must now stretch that little money we earn even further. And this is for civilian work. How must our contemporaries serving in Iraq feel about their finances after pay cuts in the military?

The ever-widening health care gap burdens young voters also. I am fortunate enough to have access to excellent medical care, but that is a luxury that many in the 18-to-24 age bracket do not have.

At the event with Pak were representatives from World Wrestling Entertainment (W.W.E.). Linda McMahon, the C.E.O. of W.W.E, briefed reporters on her company's voter registration efforts. There are registration drives at W.W.E. events with state and local officials. McMahon said she was working with organizations, such as the League of Women Voters and Harvard University's Institute of Politics. The phrase she kept repeating was "voter registration." From McMahon's description, W.W.E. voter registration events consist mostly of wrestlers delivering the old lines on voting: It's important, it's democracy at work. These events sound like more of the celebrity-driven events that have failed to encourage new voters in past elections.

Among the wrestlers who spoke to reporters were Mick Foley, who endorsed Sen. John Kerry, and Paul Wight, who performs under the moniker "Big Show." Wight did not openly state if he supported Kerry or Bush, but he told the reporters what he desires in a presidential candidate.

"I'd like to see a campaign where they actually, you know, inform me of what they're going to do," Wight said. "I think you have to wade through all of that [rhetoric] and look at the issues and look at what candidates represent what and choose for yourself who will be the best." When a professional wrestler who performs in an admittedly fake show before predominantly youthful audiences tells politicians to be straightforward and honest, it might be time for a reality check.

So, what is the solution to improving young voter turnout? It is commendable that celebrities like Ben Affleck and U2 front-man Bono (who can't vote in this country, anyway) have been appealing this week to non-voters, both young and old. But the candidates-not their celebrity emissaries-need to address us 18-to-24-year-olds and appeal for our ballots.

It might surprise Kerry and Bush (who will have his own cadre of celebrity supporters at the Republican National Convention) that it takes more than the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, and in some cases, the wrestling ring, to get our generation out to the polls. Young people have been on the front lines of social movements and political campaigns for the last 40 years, but when it comes time for making real policy, we are suddenly forgotten.

It is a safe guess that a majority of students at this university, a highly-ranked research institution outside Boston, the citadel of American liberalism, will vote down the Democratic Party line, assuming they possess enough self-motivation to vote. They know which candidate they will vote for, but many do not know why. A demographic ignored is a demographic that votes in small numbers.

Here's some advice for Kerry and Bush: Start talking directly to young voters more often. Drop by businesses with a lot of young employees and talk about overtime pay and health care benefits. Visit college campuses and tell us about tuition assistance, research grants and your plans to build the future of this nation. A lot of us can vote by absentee ballot in all 50 states.

MTV's program is subtitled "20 Million Loud." If even half that goal is reached, the number of young voters will have skyrocketed since the last presidential election. Realizing one's voting rights is a vital, mandatory step, but it is also the easiest. Voters must be able to give reasons for their decision at the ballot box. An informed electorate is better equipped to hold its choices accountable. There's no reward in voting just for voting's sake.