Looks like the youth is sitting out the midterms....

[Takket]

This is so heartbreaking..................

Link to tweet

[Arkansas Granny]

1. I would hope they realize it's their future we're fighting for.

[Still In Wisconsin]

2. As usual, they can't be bothered.

Voting gets in the way of things like mid-week keggers, looking beautiful, and keeping current with social media.

[JHan]

16. Many of us are bothered. Way more than just "bothered" too.

So we'll see what happens come November.

[LBM20]

20. Good. Take friends and family with you. Appreciated!

[joshcryer]

39. Worse. They don't care.

They legitimately don't give two cents. Go play some games and hop on Discord and talk to them. It's terrifying the views they hold and their values.

[joshcryer]

45. Many of them go to school, do low paying jobs, and consume media.

Be it laying on the couch watching YouTube, posting on Instagram, or talking on Discord and playing games.

The idea of the party going frat kid is a myth. They're largely locked in to social media and digital media consumption. It's their "out" in life.

[LovingA2andMI]

3. So, Didn't....

David Hogg go around the country and register them? And so now, they are registered (in some cases) but won't vote. Interesting...

So fair question: Was this a waste of money, time and resources?

[OrlandoDem2]

4. That's awful, but is it better than in the past?

[gulliver]

5. We need to ask for their help. Many don't respond to selfish motives or judgmental disapproval.

We need to "ask them to do something right that will help us." Give them something simple and positive that they can do to be helpful: vote. It's not that we shouldn't point out that they are screwing themselves over by letting Republicans run things. A lot of them don't care enough about themselves to respond to that. It's not that we shouldn't disapprove of them being apathetic, but a lot of them are used to disapproval and don't respond to that either.

[renate]

25. I think you're right

They should be sufficiently motivated by what it means for their own futures, but if they aren't, I think many would respond to a respectful acknowledgement of how important they and their votes are for all of us, and for the planet.

They certainly wouldn't respond to disrespect and scorn for how "lazy" they are. A lot of them are just busy working two part-time jobs to cover the rent and figuring out their lives (it's not an easy time of life) and don't realize how important their single vote could end up being.

[badhair77]

30. I like your approach. And I say that as someone in the older demographic.

I know I would not respond well to shaming.

[violetpastille]

44. +1

[pwb]

6. Why is Anne Rand a Paul Ryan in this tweeter name?

Fake news if this person thinks like them.

[Ruby the Liberal]

12. She is mocking them

Three people with indistinguishable ideologies.

[muntrv]

7. They need to be "inspired" to vote?

[Stallion]

9. ...So a Cookie or a Participation Trophy

[SubjectTrip]

43. Rhetoric like this is what really turns millennials away n/t

[gulliver]

10. No way that will work of course. But "asking" them would.

Inspiration can be hard to find these days apparently. A lot of people have a hard time finding it (although we are all soaking in it). One of the biggest sources of inspiration is the opportunity to do good for someone else. We keep asking youth to do good things for themselves or "for the planet." We should be asking them to do good things for us.

[LBM20]

21. Please. Enough of the LAME excuses. They need to get off their devices and go vote.

[gulliver]

31. Our generation has little standing to be casting judgment.

In the past, I felt the same way you do, disappointed by the youth vote and critical of them. There definitely is reason to be frustrated and disappointed by them. But I do believe they will respond to encouragement and a chance to succeed at doing the right thing to help others.

[LBM20]

40. Does individual responsbility even exist anymore? I am sick to death of the excuses.

[MountCleaners]

60. We can use their devices to get them to vote

We need celebrities or young people's media to put the message in front of them. The message needs to be on whatever places they spend their time on - Instagram or wherever.

[LBM20]

22. Schools have mock elections, etc. But don't blame schools. These kids need to GET OFF THEIR ASSES!

[manor321]

11. Of course

Meanwhile the old racists show up. It never changes.

[Loki Liesmith]

13. Same percentage that voted last time the Dems took over

https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p20-577.pdfP

[Hortensis]

15. Remember, roughly half are naturally conservative

from the start. Larger numbers of those sitting out the election would be a good sign.

For the rest who should be marching and voting with us, most have grown up confused and demoralized by all the trash talking about Democrats. Oceans of right-wing Kool-Aid swamping them from the right has always been splashed right back, often in the same words, by hostiles from the left, like the Michael Moores and others wired to dissent who've been telling everyone for decades we're just as corrupt, crooked and uncaring.

So, many in that group have no idea there are good guys. It will take some a very long time to learn there are, and some never will.

[LBM20]

19. Sorry but I'm sick and tired of the MEGA-LAME excuses. They need to get off their asses and VOTE.

They sit and bitch and whine and moan about the world and how it treats them so badly and their high tuition and high debt and all the rest and then can't pry their faces off their electronic devices long enough to go vote. It is BULLSHIT!

[Hortensis]

38. Sure, they should vote, and if I could push a button that

would kick the asses of the able-bodied among the 4 out of 5 of them who didn't vote in 2016 around the block until they were dropping and desperate for it to stop, and desperate that it never happen again, I would push the button.

I'd push it for all of us, including them, but notably for all those people who've been persecuted by those who promised evil and for the many more to come if evil is not stopped.

But let's not pretend 100% of the reason they didn't is laziness. They're not too lazy to do many other things all day/week/year long.

[Cousin Dupree]

17. Our oldest granddaughter just turned 18. She registered to vote and she will. She's a lefty and

we are proud of her. She went to her first march with Grandma and Grandpa this summer

[LBM20]

23. Good for her!

[LBM20]

18. Plenty of time for XBox and Instagram but can't go vote. PATHETIC!

[grantcart]

34. Turns out the opiate of the masses isn't religion but an XBox.

[budkin]

24. My son just turned 18, and he will be voting!

For Beto in Texas!

[Turbineguy]

26. They have the most to lose.

[thegoose]

27. But aren't there a lot more of them

Than the adult diaper brigade? So it'd still be more in total?

[Snake Plissken]

28. This poll is less than useless

Notice how the number increases proportionally with age.

If you polled 1,000 18-29 to ask them if they are voting ... oh wait a minute, I forgot ...

that chances of anyone finding 1,000 people between the ages of 18-29 willing to answer a phone call from a phone number they do not recognize is exactly 0% ... nevermind.

[grantcart]

33. Tufts estimates that the last off year election 18-29 turnout was 19%

Your premise doesn't support your conclusion

They didn't call 1000 18-29 year olds and talked with x number, they called x number and talked with 1000.

[Snake Plissken]

54. My premise is this poll is less than useless

it's only a guess, sure it could be a close estimate based on past history, but it is not even close being being scientific

[John Fante]

55. So if the 26% figure number holds, that's a 30% improvement over 2014.

That is a sizeable difference, and it favors the Democrats.

[grantcart]

57. Well it only appears significant because the base number is so small

In other words a 30% increase on 19% is less than 15% increase on 60%.

It is a very low number.

Most effective counter measure IMO is mail in ballots.

[John Fante]

58. True, but it's enough of an increase in our favor to comfortably take the house.

An increase in percentage for younger voters = a decrease in older voters.

[grantcart]

59. The most significant impact on turn out appears to be mail in voting

It radically increases likelihood of turnout in all ages.


That's why I volunteer for mail in vote canvassing the most.

[RandySF]

29. What is their criteria for "certain"?

[YOHABLO]

32. I think what is disturbing is the lack of voter turn out in this country. We have to change that.

[NightWatcher]

35. How does Gallup contact 18-29 yo's?

[peggysue2]

36. There's been a voter registration surge

in this age group across the country. We all remember Parkland. These kids have been working their tails off. So when I see a poll like this? I seriously question its veracity, just another way to depress the vote by declaring:

Oh noes! All is lost.

Expect more doom and gloom polls and articles to sweep through the landscape. And remember, the opposition doesn't care about the truth. Only the results.

Heidi Heitcamp, for instance, was said to be 12 points down. The internals show her 4 points off. This is going to be a slug fest the closer we get. We need to keep the pressure on.

Eyes on the Prize!

[dawg day]

37. We need more commercials with old people (like me-ish :) saying, "Cancel me out!"

They need to realize that those of us closest to death are voting, and the ones who have to live with that the longest need to vote too.

[nini]

41. Maybe their parents should kick them out of the house to wake them up

I am over ANYONE who can't be bothered.

[grantcart]

42. My youngest daughter isn't big on politics.

This year I tried a new tactic.

I told her that I would tell her mother some rumor and she would call her every 5 minutes with worry and she would then be forced to explain (in Thai) that everything is OK.

First it was waves of rats invading apartment buildings around the hurricane (she lives in South Carolina).

Then it was rabid bats attacking pets in her neighborhood.

She finally gave up on the Simese twin gator in the stream behind their house and registered.

Thais are susceptible to these outlandish rumors and my wife loses track of time differences.

Not only is she registered she got the mail in ballot option, which actually made her quite happy.

I think that if young people got the mail in ballot they would vote in much higher numbers.

[alarimer]

46. It's their funeral.

Apathetic idiots get what they deserve.

[Awsi Dooger]

47. Anecdotes and adjustments mean nothing

Young voters don't vote and young single women in particular don't show up in midterms.

Big picture truth always wins

However, registering new college-aged voters needs to remain our top priority because that block is heavily pro-blue right now and eventually they will be a dominant force.

The mistake is pretending it will make a major difference in 2018.

The midterms will still be flooded with Silent Generation voters born 1928-1945. That block is the most heavily Republican of all. We gain among senior citizen voters every two years as that generation faces mortality and is replaced by younger seniors who lean Democratic.

[CrispyQ]

48. Looks like turnout's gone down for all ages.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youth_vote_in_the_United_States#/media/File:Voting_Trends_by_Race_and_Age.jpg



My parents weren't voters, but in 5th grade my social studies teacher pounded it into our heads that government impacts every aspect of your life & she told us when we were old enough we had to vote. "It's your duty." Maybe this is why they don't want to teach social studies & civics anymore.

As people do better, they start voting like Republicans - unless they have too much education and vote Democratic, which proves there can be too much of a good thing. Karl Rove

[struggle4progress]

50. Reach out now. We'll know next month whether it worked.

[meadowlark5]

51. I don't want to make excuses for them because this is a very dangerous time in our democracy

But, really, think back to when you were 18-20rys old. I surprisingly can. I was graduating from high school, I was trying to figure out how to go to and pay for college or should I get married to my hog farmer boyfriend. Then I was working two jobs, part time school, moving to a new town and apartment, making friends and enjoying my step into adulthood.

I don't know if politics were as pivotal or volatile then as they are now. But, I didn't think about it. I was blissfully unaware. I voted several times but not every election. Especially as I moved from state to states.

Shaming them, belittling them and reducing them down to stupid, mindless partying derelicts is no way to get them to engage and vote.

And they tend to have requirements for the candidates they support. Not a whole lot different than the purity tests adults have.

[kimbutgar]

52. My 26 year old is voting

We stressed the importance in him since was 18 years old.

[Turin_C3PO]

53. It's always been this way, no?

I think young people have, historically, never voted in large numbers. This isn’t new. I wish it weren’t so but I don’t know what to do to change it. Blaming Xbox and keggers might feel good but certainly isn’t productive. If anything, it’s off putting to younger voters to hear people scolding them about their free time habits.

[In It to Win It]

56. This youth (me) is voting; I'm making sure my friends are registered to vote; and I'm encouraging...

them to vote BECAUSE TRUMP IS A FUCKING IDIOT!

"Covfefe"
"They want to raid medicare to pay for socialism"