Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Youth Vote

Young voters make impact with strong turnout on Election Day, favoring Obama

November 6, 2008

“It’s my first time voting. It’s the first chance I have to make a voice in the election — whether it goes one way or the other,” mathematics junior Stephanie Donelko, front center, said of watching the presidential election at the Union. She heard election results while seated between second-year student affairs administration graduate student Jessica Inman, left, and marketing junior Jake Lestan.

Photo by Jeana-Dee Allen | The State News

They were everywhere on campus. In the final weeks leading up to the election, avoiding somebody decked out in Barack Obama apparel was about as easy as finding an on-campus parking spot. Voter registration tables crowded the area by the Wells Hall bridge, forming a swarming blanket of politically active students that turned the grass underneath their feet brown just by standing there for so long.

Not as vocal were supporters of Republican presidential nominee John McCain, and the numbers showed that very fact.

About 2.2 million more voters in the 18- to 29-year-old age group showed up at the polls compared to 2004, according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, or CIRCLE.

More telling were the results.

Youth voters sided with the Democratic Party by about a 2-1 ratio, according to www.pollster.com. In 2004, that number was 9 percent of registered voters in the 18 to 29 age group. In 2000, it was 2 percent.

As zoology sophomore Sarah Allan put it, President-elect Obama simply tried harder for their votes.

“A lot of the people were sick of the way government is going now and he supported change, so that’s why people more went toward him,” she said.

It is traditionally held that young voters, especially those on college campuses, are more likely to identify with the Democratic Party. This year’s election highlighted new and different trends with major implications for the Democratic and Republican parties, experts said.

For Democrats, they might have potentially created a wider base by capturing young voters who are still unsure of their partisanship.

For Republicans, it means there is a lot of work left to do.

Back to the drawing board

Louie Glinzak, press secretary for the MSU College Republicans, admired the Obama campaign.

He said his group, as well as other Republicans on campus, have to strengthen their voter education efforts. Obama supporters spent long hours attempting to register people to vote, but that wasn’t all they were doing.

“What certainly worked for the Democrats and I would love to see the Republicans do in the future is the Democrats in the Obama campaign didn’t just register people to vote but used it as a way to enlighten and educate people on Democratic policies,” Glinzak said. “That definitely worked for them and that’s the next step Republicans need to take.”

Glinzak said the Bush administration had a negative effect on attracting new voters to the Republican Party. He said it’s unfortunate because Bush doesn’t embody the Republican ideals of less government and controlled spending.

Matt Grossmann, an assistant MSU political science professor and national election expert, said he doesn’t know of any evidence supporting a claim Bush was a deterrent for young voters specifically to side with the Republican Party. He said the Bush presidency was instrumental in leading to a general increase in voter turnout.

Bobby Campbell, director of policy and programs with the Student Association for Voter Empowerment, or SAVE, said political emphasis among youth voters depends less on partisanship than ever before.

“The big issue is not political parties — it’s issues,” Campbell said. “And we’re seeing obviously global warming and the environment is a big issue among young people and the sense that we need to do something now.”

The O-factor

Experts and observers said Obama’s ability to use technology to communicate with voters was a key factor in capturing the youth vote. Campbell coined the term “netroots organization” for Obama’s campaign strategy.

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“We spend so much time on the Internet. By tapping into that whole system, it brought politics to a stage and a whole bunch of young people that hadn’t seen it in the past,” Campbell said.

Georg Schuttler, president of MSU Democrats, said the group saw an exponential increase in its number of members this year. Schuttler said students’ disappointment with President Bush and the ability to relate to Obama led them to identify with the Democratic Party.

Campbell agreed, saying the overwhelming support of Obama shouldn’t be attributed to a natural tendency among youth to have liberal viewpoints.

“Political party identification switches with young people,” he said. “During the ’90s it was Republican … then evened out around 2000. In 2004 it was evenly split, and now young people identify with Democrats.”

Schuttler said another factor in Obama’s command of the youth vote was his ability to speak to youth voters and realize their potential to carry an election.

“(Obama) spoke to the youth and treated us as if we did have a power behind our vote,” he said. “We’re mostly adults at this point and … sometimes adults don’t usually treat us this way, especially when it comes to political campaigns.”

Schuttler, who has worked on several political campaigns, said Obama’s was the first one where there was “no problem getting volunteers.”

“So many people were so enthusiastic and ready to go out and knock on doors and make phone calls,” he said.

“I’ve never seen anything like this.”

What it means

Although the increase in total youth participation was less than in 2004 — when 7 percent more 18- to 29-year-olds voted than in 2000 — the wideness of the divide between McCain supporters and Obama supporters may have clinched the popular vote for Obama.

“It’s an enormous difference when young people are choosing Obama 60-whatever percent to 30 percent,” Campbell said.

“It shows that if you reach out to young people, they will and can deliver, if not the election itself, a huge leg up and a huge advantage.”

Total voter participation for all ages increased by as much as 11 million this election, an indication of voters’ concerns with the current government.

But Campbell said America can expect to see a continued increase in participation among youth in future elections, even without a tumultuous political climate.

“This youth vote showed without a doubt that they can be a difference in the election, and they should no longer be overlooked,” Campbell said.

Now students want to see Obama address their concerns when he takes office next year.

“I want him to be receptive toward the students’ wishes and what they hope to see changed in America, whether that be abortion rights, women’s rights issues, improving welfare policies and social security,” said James Madison College freshman Aviva Norman.

“I hope he will be responsive toward young people’s concerns.”

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