Young Voters Broke Records In 2008 Primary Season, Nearly Doubling Turnout From 2000
This year, 6.5 million voters under 30 turned up at the polls.
By Gil Kaufman
The phenomenon was evident as early as the Iowa caucuses, and it proved to be a trend by Super Tuesday, but now that primary season is over, it's official: Young voters turned out in record numbers, casting a 6.5 million votes. This year's percentage of young voters was nearly double the turnout in 2000 (in the states that collected youth-voting data that year), according to figures compiled by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE).
The combination of a hotly contested Democratic primary between Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and the from-the-depths surge to the top by Senator John McCain no doubt helped increase interest in the race among voters under age 30. The more than 6 million votes cast is a dramatic increase in youth-voter turnout compared to the 2000 election and marks the first time the youth vote has risen in three consecutive election cycles since the voting age was lowered to 18 in 1971, according to CIRCLE.
"This primary season, the Millennials have gone to the polls in record numbers, showing they are an influential voting bloc in American politics," CIRCLE director Peter Levine said. "They realize what's at stake and the impact this election will have on their future and the future of our country."
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maybe there is hope yet..