Youth vote may have been key in Obama's win
(Wed., Nov . 5, 2008)
Early reports are indicating that the youngest members of the country's electorate voted Tuesday in higher numbers than in the last presidential election — and they voted more Democratic. Youth turnout appears to be exceeding 2004 levels, which was itself a year with a big surge in voters ages 18 to 29.
“We expected record turnout, and that is what we’re seeing right now,” says Heather Smith, a spokeswoman for Rock the Vote, an organization that works to encourage young people to register and vote in every election.
What’s more, young voters may prove to have been the key to Barack Obama's victory. Young voters preferred Obama over John McCain by 68 percent to 30 percent — the highest share of the youth vote obtained by any candidate since exit polls began reporting results by age in 1976, according to CIRCLE, a non-partisan organization that promotes research on the political engagement of Americans between ages 15 and 25.
“(The youth vote) is turning states that (Obama) would’ve lost or barely won into more comfortable margins,” says John Della Volpe, the director of polling for the Harvard University Institute of Politics. “Not only are they voting in higher numbers, they’re voting more Democrat.”
“Consistently throughout the country in key swing states, Obama is outperforming John Kerry’s performance (with young voters) from four years ago by two to three times the margin,” Della Volpe says, noting that on Tuesday night in Indiana, Obama was losing to McCain in every important demographic — except young voters. “In many states, the only significant electorate that Obama is winning is young people.”
“This is a group of people who are constantly checking in with everybody else in their circle to make a decision,” says Morley Winograd, the co-author of “Millennial Makeover: MySpace, YouTube, and the Future of American Politics” and a former adviser to Vice President Al Gore. He defines Millennials as ages 18 to 26.
“This is a generation that doesn't tend to think about asking experts for opinion," Winograd says. "They tend to ask each other, and then that becomes the truth.”
Winograd says that means no decision is made without dozens of e-mails, texts or Facebook messages to check whether an idea works for the whole group — anything from “Where should we hang out tonight?” to “Who should we vote for?” — which could explain why Millennials so firmly latched onto Obama’s message of unity, he says.
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30 comments:
Yup, and the reason Scott Brown won in Mass, is because he went from 30 point down to 3 points up in 1 month. The democrats didn't have time to mobilize their voter fraud corruption squad (ACORN).
In any true fair election, the Democrats would never win!
Hope America's youth are proud of themselves. Your future and your children's future have been bankrupt in only a year. LOL, and look three more to go.
Oh grumpy, impatient old men... (shakes head, walks away from conversation..)
I hope Obama can pull our fat out of the fire.
Smells like bacon, doesn't it?
The best part about all of this- is the shift in age demographics coming in the next generation- get used to the "youth" vote as a record number of old boomer's die off.
As an 20 year old voter- and current college student I'm a part of the wave that's coming. Even my most outspoken conservative peers believe in gay marriage, and are not anti-choice. Even the religious ones...
If you think Obama's victory was the "swing left" you have another thing coming! (if you live that long) The "pendulum" is mid swing!
I'm in my early twenties and I voted for Obama. I am proud of him. I didn't expect him to fix a country engaged in an historical economic downturn, and marred by years of bad governing in 13 months.
Many of you want Obama to fail, for reasons unknown to me. The fact is, I voted, along with many other young people, for Obama. Obama won by a margin not seen since Ronald Reagan. Nanny nanny boo boo.
Thats because the idiot teachers who want to get rid of God in school teach these kids that "Change" is the way to go. The College Professors who think Darwin is the only way and want to change the way we teach history. The same ones who teach about global warming or now called "Severe Weather Climate CHanges" cause they look stupid now saying global warming.
Wow, kids that have no freaking clue cause the only experience they have is being in school and listening to idiot college professors.
I believe it.
if you're not liberal as a youth, you have no heart, if you're not conservative as an adult, you have no brain... Winston Churchill
The youth have spoken. Move out of the way old people, and stop complaining.
If you had to name the ole gal(storm) what would you name her? My name would be "Stella" she blew and she blew and finally blew herself out.
If you're under 30 and your not a liberal you have no heart. If you over 30 and your not a conservative, you have no brain.
It's that simple. It's not static.
Doug Wilkerson, BIOTCH!
Are we going to do this again or is that your choice for a name.
Sorry, Im doing seven things at one time, she was wasnt she.
I'm a late gen X & very afraid for what has happened this past election. Not because he's black, but for how easily the young voters were persuaded into voting for this chump. All we've really seen is "robbing Peter to pay Paul" & leading us into a more blinded turmoil than where we were. But, oh wait, let's have another press conference or youtube bit to give the illusion that we've got this under control. Give me a break. It makes me sick to see how easily "the bandwagon" can be filled w/a bunch of naive youngsters when they've barely paid for anything in their life thus far. "Move out of the way old people"?!?! How about do your research little ones & separate the glam & marketing ploys used to cloud your thinking! Keep your "change" & empty promises and show us something real.
no kidding. you just figuring that out? lol
Nobody's bashing youth here, but you all need to think..
About ten or fifteen years from now, when you're hitting your stride in your earning years, the bill for what you decided to do is gonna hit you square in the butt.
Your tax rate will be at least 50%.. probably more.
Just take a look at Pelosi, Reid, et al.
That's the kind of people you will have running the country you handed them.
They won't suffer-- YOU will.
Do you have a credit card?
Would you go out and run it up to about $800,000, then have Mastercard just bill your kids while you party on?
Don't vote 'against' older people out of rebellion or spite-- you're shooting yourself.
You'll spend the best part of your lives as slaves to the State you've empowered..
5:59...blaming the teachers for something else? Instead of pointing fingers...go sit on your finger. Enjoy the ride!
stupid young kids
thinking they voted for a rock star
and Like a rock he trashing the country like rock stars trash Hotel rooms
7:03
Did your teacher tell you to say that?
We need to take it easy on the younger ones.. they're only saying and doing what they were taught.
They're the product of the public schools and colleges, where they've been hearing a steady diet of this liberal claptrap, taught by many who have never ventured out of their academic dreamworld, and have no sense of the consequences of what they advocate.
The sad thing is, by the time they realize they've been lied to, life will be such a mess for them that they will have a hard time carving out anything like happiness.
I thought older people were pretty ignorant when I was their age..
Boy, what a mess I made.
I sure wish I would have been wise enough to listen to some of the people who had been around a while and saw the trouble I was headed for.
Let's try to work with them and help them to take an honest look at what's going on, rather than bash them for saying and doing the things they were taught were right.
5:41
Gay Marriage is any oxymoron.
what - can't you take someone asking who elected Bush twice? Seriously? Just want people who will bash Obama? Huh - can dish it out but can't take it? I'll ask again - who elected the train wreck that was Bush - twice?
Bush was much better than Obama. Obama is ruining our economy in just over a year. Our deficit is out of control, our spending is just plain nuts and the cloward-piven plan to bankrupt America is well under way. The American people, by a large majority, say they do not want government healthcare, so what does Obama say. he is not explaining it well enough. What an elitist!
8:57
What are you going off about? Who runs away from debates, liberals. Those who understand what they believe and know the truth are never scared of debate.
you young ones seem to forget us old folks were young just like you are now. age and experience has taught us what you have yet to achieve. when you get to our age you will be scratching your collective heads and mumbling, what were we thinking.
funny...........that's the first things fascists do.........dismiss the intellectuals and silence the youth
the train wreck had already happened - the is was clean up and triage
8:07 Nope...old bitter people like you. By the way...how was the ride? Hope you didn't get stuck in the snow...
Question for the left-wing young people who are proud of President Obama- How much tax have you paid into the system? What give you the right to bash the very people who are paying thousands of dollars every year keeping this country and YOU afloat? Why don't you TRY to finish your education before you put your foot in your mouths once again?And it's President Bush...show some respect, you could never handle that job.
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