Voter Turnout Among The Young Still Lags

[Infinite Hope]

For all the star-studded voter registration drives featuring the likes of Madonna and Sean "Diddy" Combs, more than half of the people in the United States age 18 to 24 who are eligible to vote typically are no-shows on Election Day. By comparison, some 70 percent of those 45 and older cast their ballots, according to the Census Bureau.

...

Voter turnout among young people rose in the 2004 election to 47 percent from 36 percent in 2000. It is an increase in motivation that candidates hope will build this time and last until November 2008.

(This for the person that recently contested that aside from 2004, the vast majority of youth voters do not vote.)

...

Critical for the campaigns is whether they can keep the interest of young voters through the election. Trippi warned about the "self-fulfilling death spiral" in which in-house pollsters tell candidates that young people do not vote and urge the contender to focus on issues, including
Social Security, that are favored by the elderly.

...

Billy Valentine, 20, a sophomore at Franciscan College in Steubenville, Ohio, leads Students for Brownback, supporting Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback (news, bio, voting record) for the GOP nomination. Brownback, 50, is a favorite of religious conservatives...

"A big reason why students don't vote is they're not paying taxes yet," Valentine said. "They don't have thousands of dollars taken out of their salaries. Their parents are paying for their college education. They don't look at economics."

(1. Only the rich like him have mommy and daddy paying for their entire college education. 2. We don't look at economics? What a secluded dumbass.)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070303/ap_on_el_ge/young_voters_1">More...

[MADem]

1. And this is a REAL PROBLEM. And it is one that the GOP is addressing

on campuses all over the country, as that article plainly illustrates. My sense is that the little GOP buttheads are doing a better job at it than our side is.

Back in the day, if some GOP asswipes pulled one of those "Cookie Sales" where the Black kids pay 25 cents, the Hispanics pay 50 cents, and Whities pay a buck, why, they'd be hectored off campus and jeered mercilessly. Nowadays, people say "Well gee, that's not cool, man..." and don't get very exorcised. It's happened on a number of campuses, and while some have gotten irritated, just as many if not more have not. That, and other "I got mine, Screw You" type stunts speak to the insidious influence of the GOP on campuses.

Gee, once upon a time, I thought a bit of idealism came with youth, sort of automatically. That's not the case anymore--way too much South Park Snark, "I Got Mine-ism" and this somewhat condescending and jaded "Nothing Can or Will Surprise Me" attitude -- I have encountered more than a few kids who are just missing out on the joy of discovery, because they affect a know-it-all attitude, perhaps because they're afraid of not appearing cool...at least that's how it seems to me with some (not all, though).

We need to catch up, or risk a NASTY surprise come election day. Too many young Americans talk and don't walk (or ride) to the polls. We can't just get mad at these ignorant GOP bastards quoted in these articles, we need to motivate the young adults (and not just the college students, the young 'working/looking for decent work' men and women as well) to participate in the process.

The GOP has always used GOTV to their advantage. They are VERY good at it, and they're also champions at voter supression. It looks, to me, like they may be shifting their focus in an important way from the religious right to the young adult market.

We ignore them at our very real peril.

[napi21]

2. Ithink a lot also depends on the Candidates!

I think it's almost impossible to get young people interested in elections when the candidates are 60+ years old.

I remember how muchinterest there was when Jack Kennedy was running and I was 19. Yes there was the draft that certainly interested young people, but we LOVED Jack!

It's very hard to get young people interested in anything they don't see affecting them, and it's impossible for them to visualize where they might be or what they might be doing in 20 years.

[Infinite Hope]

4. Your last half sentence is very important. n/t

[dkofos]

3. Sometimes I wish voting were manditory

[Infinite Hope]

5. No way. Then people who didn't care would vote for the worst person possible as a joke. n/t

[dkofos]

6. Is that much different than what is going on now.

Look who is pResident

[Infinite Hope]

8. Yes, it is. Add another 50% who don't care to the electorate...

and we could wind up with a communism party or Nazi party winning at least in some areas. That's a flawed line of logic to say that because with our current electorate we sometimes get a bonehead, that doubling our electorate with people who don't care and will vote out of spite/prank won't change anything. Oversimplification.

[dkofos]

10. That is the lamest excuse I have ever heard.

Maybe you should quit answering me and change your screen name to NoFreakinHopeATOL

[Infinite Hope]

15. Excuse for what?

It's a reality. People who don't care won't vote seriously. That's why it isn't and never has been mandatory. You can't force democracy nor democratic practices. We've seen that throughout history and that lesson should be more clear now than ever.

[samplegirl]

7. I talk with a lot of my

daughters friends and it's amazing how many just don't care to vote. Seems their excuse is always the same that all politicians
are liars.
I am so happy that my daughter has always voted and continues to vote.
I feel as a parent it is my duty to convey the importance of voting and keeping her abreast on whats happening in the world. I know most kids have busy lives but there is more than the sports section to the paper.

I guess parents really don't have real conversations with their
kids these days. We look out for everything in our childs lives and I feel voting is an important priority.

[Infinite Hope]

9. You should be commended. Good parenting. n/t

[samplegirl]

17. Thank you

I try. I think sometimes these friends of hers are just not aware because their parents do not take the time to talk to them about what is at stake.
I take the time my time talking with them and back my comments with good solid facts. Hopefully I have encouraged some of them
as well.

[dkofos]

11. Your daughters friends are mostly right. Most politicians are liars!

Have you or your daughter voted for a liar before??

[sweetladybug]

12. I have 3 children and I had them to register to vote as soon as they turned 18 yrs old

Also, I tried to get my older grandchildren to pay attention to what is going on in our country. Hopefully they will continue to pay attention and register to vote when they turn 18 yrs old.

[Infinite Hope]

16. Thanks for taking your and their civic duty seriously.

That's more than I can say for some nay-sayers on here. You too are commended.

[Eurobabe]

13. Not my girls, they drag their friends to the polls

and make sure everyone is registered and aware of why voting is SO important. They are 23 & 25. I'm really proud of them, they rallied the troops for mid-term elections last fall!

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. My god

when I was in college the only reason I did not vote was... drum roll, I could not, I was NOT a citizen.

Still I paid attention and mommy and daddy did pay for my school... you dumbass becuse I did not qualify, nor should qualify, for any scholarship... dumb asses they are