Voting is a form of investing in the system - the more people invest in the system the more their needs will be attended to. If more poor and young people voted, the political landscape would look a lot different. Also, by investing in the system, one feels a sense of ownership in the system and feels a part of it, thus decreasing alienation.

While Harry Belafonte sounded like a civil rights activist gone insane when he called Colin Powell a "house slave", he's got the right idea here:

Harry Belafonte told activists here the only way out of poverty is the through the voting booth.

...."Voting is the most powerful weapon poor people have," Belafonte said Saturday. "There are a lot more poor people than rich people. So if they'd all vote, we'd win every time." [AP]

What's this "we" business, Harry? YOu were last poor in about 1945. Nonetheless:

Workshop participants registered to vote, learned about public policy and drew up lists of priorities for their neighborhoods. Washington-based Institute for Policy Studies plans a series of similar gatherings statewide to encouraged impoverished communities to participate in the national political debate leading up to the 2004 presidential election.

This is positive, denigrating Colin Powell in the most vulgar manner is not.

Belfonte was a great, great singer and charismatic performer, by the way, respectfully and inclusively incorporating the folk traditions of many peoples into his repertoire. I was very sorry to see him act like such a fool.