1

This study examines issues of elections and voting in the USA and India. I spoke with youth in both countries to understand what elections, voting, and politics mean to them. The purpose of this study is to compare the views of Indian citizens and American citizens about elections, voting, and politics. It explores how they feel about action and their capacity to make a change through elections and voting. I focused specifically on the youth in the USA and India because they are the future’s leaders. They matter; and how involved they are in politics also matters. This study involved face-to-face interviews with 11 students in India and the USA. Over time, I plan to take these conversations beyond the friends I consulted in person. I am making an iPhone iOS app that poses questions of elections, voting and politics to all youth. Their answers can help us learn how politics are affecting youth worldwide. I think this exposure is a step towards a better understanding our democratic systems and their functioning. Each interview started with the interviewee’s demographics; all eleven participants are of voting age and are between 17-24 years old. The income bracket of the Indian youth range from upper middle class to upper class. The American students are middle to upper-middle class