Driven by angst and rock ‘n’ roll, the youth of the early ’90s wanted two things: a voice and their MTV.

Statements came in the form of Madonna cloaked in an American flag, explicit rap lyrics and the existential crises of the disaffected young people in “Reality Bites.”

The voice of the millennial is no longer that of a call for attention, but rather, a call for action.

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Rock the Vote is still alive and well but with the powerhouse that is social media, the group is spreading its message through more ways than just Liquid Television.

“American voter mindset has changed,” said Luis Calderin, Rock the Vote’s vice president of marketing and creative, who also worked on Bernie Sanders’ campaign. “We started as the voice of young people fighting for musicians that were being censored. Over the years, we realized that our call was bigger. To educate young Americans about the voting process and create tools to do so, but those tools have changed. We have to go to them and get them where they are.”

Many Sanders’ millennial supporters have gravitated toward Hillary Clinton, according to an August USA Today poll.

Clinton, however, has struggled to relate to millennial voters and is still received with mixed enthusiasm. Sean Anderson, vice president of Young Democrats of Illinois, agrees Clinton has some catching up to do.

“Clinton has struggled to connect with millennials, but she is working on finding her voice to speak to what she envisions for America,” said Anderson. “Millennials might have a hard time understanding where Trump stands on issues. When we talk about the American people, we consider that people of all colors and backgrounds. A candidate that doesn’t feel the same is not a candidate we should vote for. We are going to realize the country we want in this election.”

The Census Bureau defines millennials as those born between 1982 and 2000, and has identified them as the largest and most diverse group of voters in the country. The numbers are in their favor, but the last election showed theirs to be lowest turnout number at the polls. What will motivate them to punch the ticket this election?

“At the heart of this election is the overwhelming sense that we are fed up. We’re over the headlines of police brutality, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion being the basis of injustices and attacks,” Calderin said. “We’re working to channel this frustration into the ballot box, because voting is the way to progress and change.”

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Knowing what you want and knowing how to get it are two different things. Some voters just don’t know if either candidate is right for the job.

“I feel I’m forced to choose between the lesser of two evils,” said 23-year-old Caitlin Smith of North Barrington. “My biggest concern is our country’s safety, and I feel I can’t trust either candidate on this. One can’t keep their mouth shut when challenged and the other has already failed at this. It comes down to trust, and I just don’t think either fit the bill.”

Smith was intimidated when she went to vote for the first time in 2012 and said had it not been for her friends, she may not have been inclined to go at all.

Rock the Vote offers tools for registration, voting locations and deadlines, but logistics aside, Smith struggles with whether or not her vote even matters.

Chicago transplant and current D.C. resident Kelly Zolnierczyk said she finds herself in the same boat as Smith.

The 26-year-old admits living near Capitol Hill keeps her in tune with the political temperature but doesn’t exactly ignite her urge to vote.

“I know who I won’t vote for,” said Zolnierczyk. “I think people my age are generally optimistic and tolerant, but we want some drastic changes. We want to stop being deceived and discredited, but I don’t know that my vote is going to have an impact.”

Calderin says participating in democracy and voting are the only ways to effect change.

“This November isn’t just about the high-level presidential race. It’s about the congressmen and women up for re-election,” Calderin said. “All those special-interest parties who sway those that are supposed to be serving us as their constituents. They’re counting on us not showing up, not voting. If we don’t vote, things stay the same.”

History is being drafted, and with less than two months to Election Day, millennials have to decide whether they want to sit this one out, or vote and be counted.

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(c)2016 Chicago Tribune

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