Flyer

Issue date: 9/29/08 Section: News

Media Credit: SHM.com There's no reason we shouldn't see you at the polls.

On the eve of an election that has seen records shattered and unprecedented citizen involvement, both candidates are vying for the support of a block of voters who traditionally under perform in elections: young adults between the ages of 18 and 24.

Motivated by many of the major issues on the front-burner of this election like healthcare, the economy and the war, seven of 10 in this age group said they are paying close attention to the upcoming election according to a "Time" survey held in January.

Both major candidates are taking great strides to organize and energize young voters, and with good reason. This voting block is made up of 41 million people but only 52 percent were registered to vote and only 42 percent voted in the 2004 presidential election. A study by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE) found that youth voters were 22 percent more likely to fail registration deadlines than other age groups and were more likely to not know where and how to register to vote. The candidates are aiming to change that.

Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate for President, has recently launched Vote For Change (www.voteforchange.com), a web site that aims to simplify and speed up voter registration. Visitors are a few button clicks away from first determining if they are registered to vote and, if not, a registration form is provided that can be printed and mailed in. The web site also provides information regarding out-of-state voting for college students. Despite seemingly daily headlines about the Democrats' stride to captivate the youth vote, the Republicans do not plan to idly sit on the sidelines.

"I will contest every vote of every young American," John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate, told a crowd at Villanova University in April. Much like Obama's web site, John McCain's campaign homepage features a simple three step form for registering to vote.

While candidates seem to be hoping for support from the 18-24 age demographic, they should be cautiously optimistic. The youth vote is one that traditionally underperforms in elections. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 52 percent of adults between the ages of 18 and 24 were registered to vote in 2004 and only 42 percent voted in the Presidential election that year. The highest voting percentage recorded was in 1972, when 18-21 year olds were granted the right to vote by the 26th amendment.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools