The children’s crusade
EJ Dionne says that youth just might be served this time around:
Since the late 1960s, the same chorus has been heard from election to election: The young don’t care. They’re disengaged. They’re too wrapped up in their music, their favorite sports and their parties to care about politics…the evidence is overwhelming that this year, the young really will vote in large numbers — and they just might tip the election.
The trend started four years ago. According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, or CIRCLE, electoral participation among 18- to 24-year-olds rose from 36 percent in 2000 to 47 percent in 2004. For the larger 18 to 29 group, participation rose from 40 percent to 49 percent.
The 2006 midterm election saw a larger increase in off-year voting among the under-30s than any other age group. Then came this year’s primaries: According to CIRCLE, the turnout rate for the under-30s nearly doubled between 2000 and 2008, from 9 percent to 17 percent…
the young are more engaged in this campaign than are their elders. A Pew Research Center study released earlier this month asked voters whether they considered this year’s campaign “interesting” or “dull.” Among those 18 to 29, 67% called the campaign interesting, as did 66 percent of those 30 to 49. By contrast, 58 percent of those 50 to 64 and 52% of those over 65 saw the campaign as interesting…
Age is one of the most powerful lines of division in this election. In Pew’s survey, the under-30s gave Obama his largest lead, 56 percent to 36 percent. He also led among voters aged 30 to 49, but ran behind among voters 65 and over.
Imagine being governed by the media and the kids. They’ll take the car, spend all our money, and post the video of their party on YouTube.