Voter turnout for young people has been historically
inconsistent, as older voters are the traditional targets of political
campaigns. However, this year’s election marks a significant change in
candidates’ strategies, as the growing popularity of Internet campaigning has
diverted more attention to a younger demographic.
Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) significant win in
largely due to a strong base of young voters, called attention to the
frequently overlooked voting group.
It is evident from the candidates’ homepages that they are
increasingly vying for support from young voters. Every major presidential
candidate, with the exception of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), has links to his
or her respective Facebook, MySpace and YouTube site.
The current administration’s waning popularity has had a
record-setting, adverse effect on Republican candidates. A survey compiled by
the
Democratic Party identification among 20-year-olds, the most significant
Democratic leaning for this age group since the Nixon administration.
Obama’s significant lead could be signified by his 272,000
supporters on Facebook — more than triple that of Sen. Hillary Clinton
(D-N.Y.).
Texas Rep. Ron Paul takes the gold for Republicans, with
nearly 78,000 supporters — who have become recognizably vocal — while former
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney takes a distant second at 34,000 supporters.
Turnout figures bear particular significance this year
because Democrats have outnumbered Republicans by roughly 40 percent in primary
polling locations, according to a recent Time magazine report.
Clinton, former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and Obama
have similar stances on the issues, and polls show that young voters, like
their older counterparts, prioritize the economy as most important. Hence the
uneven distribution of support for a single candidate is more difficult to
explain, according to Gary Jacobson, a UCSD political science professor
and American politics expert.
“Young, educated voters like Obama’s style and his standing
for something other than politics as usual,” Jacobson said.
He said candidates with a strong base of young supporters, however,
should be weary because young voters are notorious for low turnout in general
elections and do not tend to vote as a bloc.
“By the general election, though, I think they will be
divided along partisan lines, just like their elders,” Jacobson said.
Similar trends are apparent in the Republican race.
Supporters of Paul, many of whom are young voters, denounce
the practices of the mainstream media, claiming Paul has been excluded from
news coverage.
However, at an on-campus speaking engagement last week,
Newsweek Managing Editor Evan Thomas defended the media.
Thomas said the coverage of nonviable candidates takes away
from the decision-making process when the stage is too crowded.
Mainly older members of the
community attended the speech, with only a handful of students scattered
throughout the room.
Jacobson said situations such as the turnout at Thomas’
speech are relatively common, and that high levels of young voter turnout are
often anomalous.
“
caucus state where activists tend to predominate,” Jacobson said. “When broader
electorates are involved, it is harder for any particular age group to stand
out.”
