It’s a common adage among politicians and pundits: Young people don’t vote.
But after years of low youth turnout, that trend may be changing, if the 2008 primary results are any indication.
Turnout among 18- to 29-year-olds has jumped in nearly every state that has held a primary or caucus so far. At press time, the figures for California were not available.
Marc Morgenstern attributed the change at least partly to the culture of the campaigns this year. Morgenstern heads Declare Yourself, a Los Angeles-based organization that aims to get out the vote among young people.
“There is nothing like compelling candidates and an exciting campaign to get young people to vote, and we have both of those in 2008,” he said. “In both parties you have interesting candidates and races.”
This election year is also one of the first in which candidates have made a concerted effort to target and reach out to young voters, Morgenstern said.
“This is the first time you have candidates who are listening to young voters and are talking directly to them,” he said. “Before, young voters thought candidates only cared about their elders.”
Feeling a connection to a candidate can be an important factor in a student’s decision to vote, said Jennifer Propper, spokeswoman for Bruin Republicans.
She noted that several candidates, including Republican Ron Paul and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., have specifically reached out to college students.
Part of the reason candidates have been able to effectively target younger voters is the advent of tools such as Facebook and Youtube, Propper said.
“It’s just very much in your face,” she said. “It makes the candidates more accessible. Before, politics was more an old people thing, and it was on the old people channel … (now) it’s becoming entertaining to watch.”
Morgenstern also said combining entertainment and politics may help encourage young people to vote.
Declare Yourself uses celebrity spokespeople, including Hayden Panettiere and America Ferrera, to promote voting, and Morgenstern said he believes celebrity involvement contributes to a larger cultural change.
“It’s cool to care again,” he said. “It’s fun and interesting and exciting.”
But even so, students ultimately must decide for themselves whether or not to get involved, Morgenstern said, and historically many have chosen not to.
“The registration process can be confusing and time-consuming,” Morgenstern said. “It’s not easy to get good information. What happens quite often is that young voters who might otherwise be active throw up their hands because they don’t want to look stupid and they don’t really know which way to go.”
Despite their spotty voting record, young people are highly likely to be involved in their communities in some other way, often by volunteering or participating in student groups.
Stephanie Chang, Community Service commissioner for the Undergraduate Students Association Council, said she believes volunteering may help students form the personal connections they often miss in politics.
“When you’re giving to the community you feel like you’re accomplishing something, but when you vote you don’t necessarily see the effects,” she said. “I think a lot of the politics is a long-term thing … students don’t feel like it directly impacts them.”
She added that she believes volunteering can in some cases encourage students to become more politically involved, for instance if students can clearly see how politics affects the community they are working with.
If politicians could mimic the personal connections students feel when volunteering, young people might be more likely to vote, Chang said.
“They just really need to appeal to (young people),” she said. “They have to feel a connection with (a politician) ““ I think that’s really important.”