Young Voter Turnout Questionable In Midterm Elections

Turnout among young voters may be one significant difference between these mid-term elections and the 2008 presidential election which saw Barack Obama swept into office.  WNPR’s Harriet Jones reports.

Young voters turned out in record numbers in 2008, energized by Barack Obama’s message, and in many districts their presence at the polls was decisive. Obama captured 66% of the 18 to 29 year old vote. But it seems as if that momentum hasn’t been sustained.

“Unfortunately they’re not that involved –it’s definitely not going to be what it was in 2008.”

19 year old Seth Nigrosh is a freshman at Connecticut College in New London and he’s been blogging in the student newspaper The College Voice about the mid-terms.

“When you talk to people they’re interested in the issues, but I’ve found that a lot of people don’t really know a lot about the candidates, don’t really know what races are being run this year.”

Nigrosh says while jobs and the economy may be front and center in older voter’s minds, on campus it’s issues such as marijuana legalization and don’t ask don’t tell that elicit the most response.

“People have gay friends and gay relatives and that’s something that affects them personally, while the economy can be seen as something that’s a bit more removed.”

There’s growing evidence that neither Republicans nor Democrats have harnessed the youth vote created in 2008. In a poll carried out last month by Harvard University, more than 40% of voters under the age of 30 say they don’t identify with any major political party.

For WNPR, I'm Harriet Jones.