Young Voters in the 2008 Elections

Politics was not always an elder man's game. Looking back on history, it was more a young man's game. Most of the U.S. elections have shown a turn in the other direction, and this year epitomizes it as we have seen three of the oldest candidates ever to play the game (Mike Gravel, 77; Ron Paul, 72; John McCain, 71). The 26th Amendment never lived up to its promise of a youth filled elections. Ever since the 1972 elections where an estimated 50% of citizens under the age of 24 voted, there has been a steady decline.

However recent years has shown a new interest in politics for the long forgotten age group. While the 2000 elections show a dismal 37.3% turnout, it was then followed by a 47.7% turnout in 2004. While a substantial jump, that percentage still trails all other age groups. With the increasing number of youth voters, could this year be the tipping point?

We have seen candidates who formed a strong youth backing before, most of whom were never elected. This year we see another candidate with a strong youth backing. Barack Obama has managed to create quite a stir across college campuses this year, fostering a serious interest in voters between the ages of 18 and 24. The question is whether all of that excitement will actually translate into votes this coming November.

There has already been a light shown at the end of the tunnel, as youth voters have shown up in record numbers in party primaries, on both sides of the coin. A small example lies in the Democratic South Carolina primary where only 9% of the turnout was under 29 four years ago, this year rose to 14%. Doesn't sound like much, but in reality the actual count rose six fold to over 10,000. New Hampshire saw an even greater increase from 28% in 2004 to an astounding 43% this year.

This great jump in youth participation can be attributed to a large number of issues and events. The war in Iraq has clearly been a factor as was Vietnam back when the voting age was lowered. There is no doubt that the war is in the back of the mind of every draft-aged voter when a vote is placed. However the real reason behind the expansion is much more simple and apparent, the Internet has finally fulfilled it's promise.

It is almost too clear with the great fundraising success of former Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul that the Internet is serving as a debating floor for this election. Without trying to sound to stereotypical, it is also clear that the youth voting population is much more computer inclined creating a generation ready to absorb all the information it can. But people have been saying this for years, and it has been true, so why has it taken of now?

The real reason is not the current generation of youth computer users, but the previous. That previous generation has finally reached the big leagues and knows how to use the web to market. They know how to get information out there, they know where and why the youth will read it, and they are getting it where it will be read. This is not in anyway undermining the tenacity of a college freshman looking for answers, but to show that those who aren't looking for answers are finding them anyway. Social networks have embraced politics in a new way that generally appeals to the current generation in a huge way. Places such as StumbleUpon force new views and possibilities onto the screen. Whether or not they are swayed either way, the youth of today is forced to acknowledge this instead of ignoring it.

This is no way of truly judging how this will translate in November, but if the current numbers tell us anything, an educated guess would say that the youth vote with finally fulfill that great promise. With issues such as war, privacy, and net neutrality on the line, not only will the youth take notice, they will stand up and fight for their rights, their wants, and their needs. Whoever is elected in November, it is almost guaranteed that the youth will take them there.