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Directions: Read the piece below and watch the video (see transcript ) for a chance to see teen reporters interview candidates in Virginia's U.S. Senate race about key issues on young people's minds. Then answer the discussion questions -- all based around media literacy in celebration of Media Literacy Week -- towards the end of the page.
Text:
Voter turnout could be the defining factor in this year’s midterm elections. One group in particular, young voters, has the potential to affect the election results -- they just need to turn up on Election Day.
Less than one in five (15 percent of people under 25 in Virginia) cast their ballots in the 2014 midterm elections, according to the Federal Census Bureau. This year may be different, however, with Trump as president and a substantial divide on issues like immigration and gun control -- two issues young people care deeply about.
A recent poll by the Institute of Politics at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government found that upwards of 40 percent of young people under 30 plan to vote this year—doubling 2014’s numbers.
