Politicians target a variety of voters -- Baby Boomers, retirees, homeland security moms and NASCAR dads -- but surveys show it's hard to pigeonhole young people age 18 to 25.
The 18-to-25 age group identifies the war in Iraq, terrorism
and the state of the economy as the most pressing political issues
facing Americans, concerns shared by much of the electorate, according
to a 2006 survey from the Pew Research Center for the People and
the Press commissioned for the Generation Next initiative.
These young voters vary slightly from older ones on other issues. Young people tend to prefer stricter environmental laws, support gay marriage, universal health care and more lenient immigration policies. Young people also tend to favor the option of private retirement accounts to address the Social Security shortfall, and don't mind government regulation of big business as much as their elders. In addition, young people are more likely to agree that corporations strike a fair balance between profits and public interests.
"Young adults are all very new to the political process, so they can't be pigeonholed," said Kat Barr, director of research at Young Voter Strategies, a research and polling group that tracks the attitudes of young voters.
Because of their stances on the environment and social issues, they do trend Democratic, but only slightly. A New York Times/CBS News/MTV poll published June 2007 found that 54 percent of Americans between the ages of 17 and 29 intend to vote for a Democratic candidate in the 2008 elections.
In the 2004 general election, the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, or CIRCLE, reported that 18 to 24 year olds favored Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., over President Bush by 56 percent to 44 percent.
"Past experience suggests that we do see the youth market voting more liberal than conservative," said Ginger Thomson, the CEO of the online organizing Web site Youth Noise.
However, for candidates, the key question is whether the younger demographic will vote. Traditionally a no-show at the ballot box, they set a record in 2004, jumping from 36 percent to 47 percent, although they failed to pass the half mark.
Barr, of Young Voter Strategies, says the war in Iraq could inspire greater involvement.
"They're deeply unhappy with what's happening in Iraq, but they aren't sure about what should happen," said Barr. "They're eager to hear a plan
Thomson concurs. She said that the "escalating presence" of American forces in Iraq, particularly following the spring 2007 troop surge, makes young people "really nervous." She argued that young people, concerned about both a draft and increased expenditures, seek some kind of change in course, but they're unsure if it's going to come from Democrats or Republicans.
Another key issue to young people, global warming, spans party lines
"Like we've seen in California, global warming is not a
partisan issue," said Sujatha Jahagirdar, the program director
for the New Voters Project, a voter registration effort organized
by the Public Interest Research Groups. "Many Republicans
have stepped up and become national leaders on this issue."
Indeed last year, Republican California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger established the California Climate Action Board to press for reduced carbon emissions in the hopes of addressing global warming. Young Voter Strategies cites the 2006 Schwarzenegger 10-day youth bus tour as a model for how all candidates can best reach out to young voters.
According to a 2007 Democracy Corps survey, 60 percent of 18-29 year olds say they favor the Democrats when it comes to Iraq, and 63 percent believe that Democrats would do a better job handling environmental issues than Republicans.
For some candidates, trying to create an independent persona has helped attract support from young people. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, a libertarian candidate in the Republican primary race, has stressed non-intervention abroad and smaller government at home. Paul's campaign communications director Jesse Benton said young people in particular are looking for those kinds of reforms.
"They feel that Republicans are the party of big business and have gotten us into this bad war," he said, while Democrats push for, in his words, "higher taxes" and "nanny state" policies. Benton says that Paul, by offering an alternative from both Democratic and Republican stereotypes, can cut through the chaff and rally young supporters, which can translate into what he hopes is success during the upcoming primary season.
Nonetheless, among 18-to-29-year-old Republican voters, former New York GOP Mayor Rudy Giuliani comes out on top, according to the same Democracy Corps study. As mayor, Giuliani took more moderate stances on issues including gay rights and gun control -- stances that align with the younger age bracket -- but may alienate more conservative, older Republicans.
On the Democrats' side, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois has ridden a surge of popularity among young voters seeking a change of course in the White House. The list of online supporters registered on Obama's Facebook profile is more than three times as long as his nearest Democratic opponent. But Jen Psaki, a spokesperson for the Obama camp, said that offering opportunities for youth engagement, not just for dissent from the status quo, is the key to reaching young voters.
"We are focused on making people feel that they are part of the process," said Psaki. "The organization is focused on making sure that the Students [for Barack Obama] aren't just names of supporters but individuals who are involved in the day-to-day and week-to-week activities of the campaign."
According to Psaki, the Obama camp's youth arm not only waves signs at rallies, but also organizes voter registration drives and encourages other young people to make it to the polls.
Rival Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., hopes to convince young people that Obama's lack of experience is a liability.
"[Young voters] realize it takes strength and experience" to run the country, said Clinton spokesman Isaac Baker. "You can't just talk about saying, 'I want change' -- you have to have the experience and know-how to do it, and she's able to do it on her first day in the White House."
Her campaign says young voters want a change from the current administration but someone with experience. Baker said Clinton's time as first lady and as a senator will instill confidence in potential voters.
"She's not new to this discussion," said Baker.
Though the Clinton, Obama, and Paul campaigns all profess interest in drawing young people to the polls on Nov. 4, observers still say the campaigns in general are dismissive of young people. Young adults perceive this, the observers say, and in turn have little interest in politics, which they feel does not pertain to them.
"The idea is that if we can get presidential candidates to engage young people and talk to them early on, then that will translate to higher youth participation," said Jahagirdar of the New Voters Project.
-- By Stephen Fee, Generation
Next
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