Youth Vote Decisive in 2004

SeaMax News ^ | 3/16/2004 | Kristin Billera

[Hugenot]

There are almost 300 million people in the United States and approximately 30 million of them are between the ages 0f 18 to 24. While about 64% of these young people are registered to vote, only about 42% of them actually cast a ballot, compared to the 70% of citizens 25 and older who did.

However, young voters may have a larger impact on the 2004 election than previously believed. A recent poll conducted by MTV and the Peter D. Hart Research Associates revealed that 4 out of 10 18 to 24 year olds will “definitely vote” in the 2004 election, which is up nearly 30% from the 2000 election.

Ara Khachatourian, the media director for MTV’s Rock the Vote campaign said, “It's clear that there's a lot of young interest this year. The economy and, of course, 9/11 and war in Iraq have really engaged folks. This year they're pausing and looking at issues outside of their immediate realm."

A Harvard University Institute of Politics survey revealed that 2/3 of college students have registered to vote and that 82% of those registered plan to vote this year.

According to Dan Glickman, the head of the Harvard Institute of Politics, this group is key in winning the 2004 election. He has said, “You're talking 15 (million) to 20 million people. That's enough to influence elections. Neglect this group at your peril.”

There is a common misconception that votes under the age of 30 are disproportionately Democrats. However, party affiliation is divided about evenly between Republican, Democrats and Independents. The 41% of college students that are registered as Independents will become the source of critical swing votes in the 2004 general election.

According to the Stanford Daily, in a Dec. 29 op-ed in The New York Times, Chuck Todd, editor in chief of the political newsletter The Hotline, wrote that in any election “swing voters remain the most coveted, and most influential, demographic in American politics.”

The Bush-Cheney campaign has begun to target youth voters 8 months earlier than they did in the previous election. They have created Students for Bush, an organization that has student committees working on the campaign in each state. According to Bush’s official campaign website, “This is an aggressive effort to recruit, train, and activate college students in grassroots politics at a time when everyone is watching youth voters. …. [T]here have been unprecedented and aggressive efforts by young people to make a difference for the President’s campaign at the grassroots level”

Surprisingly, a Newsweek poll has recently found that most young voters approve President Bush is doing. 54% of young voters have said that they approve of the way he is handling his job. However, only 37% said that they would definitely vote to reelect the president, while 34% said that they would definitely vote for someone else. 47% of those who participated in the poll were Democrats, while 40% were Republicans.

John Kerry is also doing his best to appeal to young voters. Kerry has a special section on his site for young people and has also been visting universities throughout the country. Kerry also seems to trying to appeal to young voters by giving interviews to trendy magazines such as Rolling Stone and Vogue.

The votes of 18-to-24 year olds have been notoriously hard to get in the past, but there is a clear trend towards young people becoming more politically active. Winning this group over may mean the difference between winning and losing for the presidential candidates in 2004.

[Patrick1]

Funny. We hear this every election and it never seems to happen. Perhaps watching one episode of the "Real World" could explain why.

[chachacha]

GOD BLESS America

The MTV, gangster rap, hiphop, college freeloaders, anti war generation could be picking your next preseidnt.

[CELTICGAEL (Celt)]

My 19 yr old twins will vote for the first time...They are voting for the President!

[Patrick1]

My first vote for President was as a twenty year-old proudly cast and still proudly cast for the great Ronald Wilson Reagan in 1980.

[k2blader]

I have more hope in the younger people of this country than in the older folks who gifted us with ballooning socialism.

Interesting how some boomers are already spitting on the hands that will feed them.

[KantianBurke]

If anyone should vote in the upcoming election its young people. Bush has saddled them with quite the fical burden to pa for his free pills for granny. Sad to say though plenty of the young would demand even MORE socialism.

[chachacha]

This tells me there's hope. In a system that has been for years teaching are children everything that is wrong with America, you must be one who at least took over where the corrupt left off.

That said, I think you'll agree, the majority of todays young have not been as fortunate.

[Dan from Michigan]

Funny you said that. The old fogeys are the ones that nearly saddled us with ALWHORE.

And Gore did best with those born before 1924, and those born from 79-82 Bush won.

[chachacha]

IF you want to use statistics as a base line to judge the young in this country, lets use the one that says the Gay rights community has recognized that it's future depends on the younger generations acceptence of their life style.

Keep the gay rights issue alive until they carry the majority vote to accept it.

[trebb]

54% of young voters have said that they approve of the way he is handling his job. However, only 37% said that they would definitely vote to reelect the president, while 34% said that they would definitely vote for someone else. 47% of those who participated in the poll were Democrats, while 40% were Republicans

Not bad considering that even outnumbered almost 7-6 by Democrats over Republicans, the young people still put Bush ahead of Kerry

[CELTICGAEL (Celt)]

My kids learned very young about politics. I worked the Bush/Quayle campaign in 1988. For almost a year they would watch and listen even at such a young age. Moreover, I taught them and their sister what it was like growing up in WV during the Vietnam War and how the left treated our Viet Vets and our Country. I told them how I felt and what I saw when I was approx. 12 yrs old trying to buy my first black light on Marshall University campus when a protest march broke out. I told them how angry and confused I was when the so-called peace marchers were carrying a huge sign "Bring Our Boys Home" while they were carrying an intact NVA flag and burning the American flag. I taught them to never forget why we are free and what we must do to maintain our freedom. I taught them that so many have died and will continue to die for our Country and our People to keep us free. I taught them when they saw a Vietnam Vet to tell them "Welcome Home." I taught them to thank a Veteran whenever they see or talk to a Vet. I taught them what President Reagan taught all of us....Peace through Strength makes a strong and safer America and the left only wants to weaken us! Sept. 11, 2001 taught them the rest. They both are in College...One wants to work for the FBI and the other wants to at some point in time run for political office.


God Bless our Troops
God Bless America
God Bless our President

[mtbopfuyn]

As if MTV's fans could find their way through the smoky haze to their door much less make the effort to 1) register and 2) vote.

[BushisTheMan]

We need to complaint that we do not want MTV as part of our cable packages.

Their "get out the vote" campaign stinks of DemoRAT skullduggery.

I have to admit that I do watch and laugh about their shows. Like the one where the student body cheated and got caught red handed. They were asked to sign forms admitting how they participated in the cheating. Low and behold, they were pissed that the ones that admitted to the worse wrong doing were punished the most harshly. And it prevented some from getting into the more advanced colleges like Harvard.

Now, let me think about that. They complained that the worse cheaters were most severely punished. And the ones who cheated their way through high school were pissed that they could no longer get into the best schools because of their cheating.

What has happened to our youth?

[Clemenza]

Let's look back at my votes from 18-24:

1994: Living in New York, but registered in Florida (where I went to high school). Campaigned for Pataki, but didn't vote.

1996: Forbes in the primary, Harry Brown in the general election.

1998: Peter Fitzgerald for the Senate (living in Chicago), Republican down the rest of the ticket.

2000: GW Bush in the primary, Bush in the general election (in South Florida no less!), Republican down the rest of the ticket.

I guess you can say my "youth vote" days were well spent.

[retrokitten]

I swear they just change the names and dates in this story and roll it out every election.

[armyboy]

This will be the first presidential election that I can cast a vote in, and I will proudly be voting for Bush.

[armyboy]

This will be the first presidential election that I can cast a vote in, and I will proudly be voting for Bush.

[chachacha]

GOD BLESS YOU! YOU ARE A NATIONAL TREASURE. I wish your family and your children major successes.

[rep-always]

My 19 yr. old and her friend will be voting for our great President George W. Bush. First time voting for both and both proud Republicans. Raised them right.