It’s not a conventional approach to civic participation, but then again it’s not a conventional election year. First, for the first time in our country’s election process, we have a multi-racial presidential candidate, a woman vice-presidential candidate, and the oldest presidential candidate to have ever run for the presidency.

It’s a new age and community politics has overtly struck a chord with a younger demographic this time around. Last Tuesday evening, at the first annual Funk The Vote event rocked The Cellar nightclub in downtown San Francisco.

“I think people are just tired of the way the country is going, there is just so much people are now realizing they can do something about, and voting is that first step,” said event coordinator and local disc-jockey, Nick Ragodos.

“What we're trying to do is raise awareness about voting, we are trying to get people out to register to vote, plain and simple,” added fellow organizer and disc jockey Sam Cabebe.

Gone are the days of the stale old political processes. Social events like Funk The Vote have sprouted up to raise awareness and activism back into a demographic so often associated with apathy and resentment when its comes to politics.

“It’s a social setting, where you can gather with like minds…music breaks so many boundaries, it brings many people from a wide spectrum of views, of social economic status, and different parts of the city,” said contributing disc jockey Joel Molina (DJ Fooders).

“You hit the polls by yourself, you fill out an absentee ballot by yourself…but here, its nice, your surrounded by a bunch of people who are your peers, they have the same interests in music you have, closely the same age, it just feels good,” said Nick.

It’s is events like these that have sparked young people’s enthusiasm again and it seems that such enthusiasm will continue as long as they feel relevant.

“I’m a registered voter, but I have never voted in my life…an event like this is different, I’ve never seen something like this and that is what drew me, I feel like my involvement will actually make a difference; I’ve never felt that way before,” said San Francisco State student and event volunteer Michelle Gier.