The Youth Vote: Students, Scholars Disagree on Impact of Young Votershttp://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/31564/Friday, October 31, 2008 :: infoZine Staff
By Brian Hayden -
Get into a conversation with Elizabeth Richardson, and she'll let you know why she's voting.
Washington, D.C. - Scripps Howard Foundation Wire - infoZine -
"I want to be able to say that I decided the election," said Richardson, 20, a junior journalism and American studies major from Los Angeles at George Washington University. She plans to vote for Barack Obama.
She's not alone.
The latest CBS News, Chronicle of Higher Education and UWIRE poll of undergraduate college students shows that more 90 percent of 25,000 students in four key swing states - Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, and Ohio - were registered to vote, and 80 percent plan to vote next week. Of that group, roughly two-thirds of the sample in each state supported Obama, while one-third supported McCain.The numbers are out, but the question remains: Will the age 18 to 24 demographic, which made up almost 10 percent of the population in 2006, according to the Census Bureau, follow through?
Not everyone thinks so.
Professor John Petrocik, chair of the political science department at the University of Missouri, said that the recent hype over young voters is "greatly exaggerated." He pointed out that, given current polls, Obama will win with or without the younger voters due to the surge of voters in every other age demographic.
He said that, with every election, young voters think they will change the world.
"When you're 20, everything is new and critical," he said. "They look how they've always looked. What's different now is that we have a rock star running for president."
He discounted the notion that young people have an avid interest in politics, saying that grows with age as life experiences shape opinions and points of view. While today's youth are better educated, he said, they are not turning out as the same rate as their elders.
Tell that to Heather Smith.
The executive director of Rock the Vote recently completed a registration drive in which 2.3 million Americans - most under 30 - signed up to cast their ballot in the election.
She said that this year's group of young voters is particularly energized because the economy is directly affecting them, like every other age demographic.George Washington Professor Steve Roberts, who sat alongside Smith at a recent youth voting forum at the school, said that the
issues in this year's election are real for young voters, much as they were in 1972, when voting rights were first extended to 18-year-olds. Back then, they were passionate about ending the war in Vietnam; now they are affected by rising student loan balances and a sagging economy, he said."You try to be a senior in college today and start looking for a job," he said.
Much of the registration boom sparked from the explosion of technology in recent years, Smith said. When RTV first began its 1992 presidential campaign voter drive, interested teens had to call the 1-800-REGISTER number that appeared at the bottom of their MTV television screen.
Word of mouth spread the non-profit's message to teens and 20-somethings. Those who wanted to stay informed read their local newspapers or turned on the television.
Not anymore.
This year, RTV registered more than twice as many new voters as in 2004. Facebook groups and hyperlinks on the Internet allowed for quick and easy access to registration forms. Blogs and interactive media led to greater dialogue on issues facing young people.
"This new generation is more connected and diverse than 18 years ago," Smith said. "Today, we have taken the concept of community and spread it around the world."
Roberts noted that, in the poll, nearly two-thirds of respondents watched a campaign video on YouTube. Four years ago, YouTube didn't exist.
The CBS poll mirrored a similar poll Harvard University Institute of Politics poll released last week. In that study, Obama led McCain in the 18-to-24 demographic 56 to 30 percent. Those with no college education favored Obama over McCain by 54 to 30 percent, while those with a four-year degree supported Obama 55 to 30 percent.More.....
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