Voter participation is the cornerstone of a democratic society, and America’s young people should seize this privilege as soon as they are able. Some youth wait until a presidential election year or until confronted with a compelling political issue. Instead, everyone ought to register on his or her eighteenth birthday and embrace this rite of passage into adulthood. What is the author’s purpose? to persuade young adults to run for political office to persuade young adults to register to vote to inform readers about the history of elections to inform readers about democratic traditions