Where are the younger voters?

[johncoby2]

You would think they would be first in line consider how much they have shot their mouths off over the last 12 months.

But, according to the polls, they are not showing up at the polls.

Maybe they are too busy texting their friends to go vote.......

[PA Democrat]

1. My son voted absentee last week.

[TheCML]

2. theyre voting on the 4th

its a good excuse to get out of class.

[eyesroll]

3. So we're chiding people now for not voting BEFORE election day?

My elderly grandma hasn't shown up at the polls yet either. Nor have her friends. They vote on Election Day, as do most people.

[Frustratedlady]

4. The students I know are voting via absentee.

My grandson's college is VERY into this election.

[bigtree]

5. show me where you're reading this

[BR_Parkway]

6. How are they not showing up? Here on our campus, we registered

over 3,000 new (out of 16,000 student body) and we've already had 2,600+ do early voting set up right in the Student Union by yesterday afternoon.

[southpaw]

7. That scares me a little bit!

If... and this is a big IF... but If Obama loses and the numbers indicate that it can be attributed to slack turnout by youth and minority voters, then those demographic segments are going to have some 'splaining to do!


Allright all you folks who have been so energized by this campaign! It all means nothing if you don't get your asses to the polls and VOTE!

[EFerrari]

21. Do not buy in. It's not true.

They get a bad rap every year and when it's corrected, no one notices.

The youth vote will do us proud. Watch. :)

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

8. Sorry, but there's no early voting where I live, so I have to wait until Tuesday.

Would you like me to get off your lawn, while I'm at it?

[Arugula Latte]

10. And turn down that rock and roll jungle music, too!

Tarnation! I can't understand what the Sam Hill they're saying!

[bigtree]

12. well

you're probably not getting your ball back

[Bright Eyes]

9. I'm voting Tuesday.

[global1]

11. What I Observed.....

my friend's son is 26 y/o. The other day I happened to have the opportunity to talk with him and some of his friends about the election. A couple of them went to see Michael Moore's F911 the first day it was released - so I was prepared to hear that they were fired up about this election. But that is not what happened.

Bottom line they just weren't interested in voting - period. It's like it cramped their style. One guy said - my vote won't count anyway - I'm just one person. It's not like they supported McCain or Obama - they just didn't seem to care.

Their life centers around making a buck at work and sponging off their parents as much as they could in order for them to enjoy their time off - to drink, play cards, watch sports, play video games and watch newly released DVD videos.

All of them went to college - but couldn't land a job in their chosen field. So they have taken any job they could - just to make some money to support their lifestyle. They seem lazy, unmotivated, unenthusiastic and downright ornery.

I couldn't even threaten them with having to go to Iraq - because they know if they don't join up - they won't have to go. So the two wars we're fighting or the specter of additional wars - didn't seem to phase them. Almost like - let the other chumps do that.

The downturn in the economy didn't seem to phase them as none of them are saving any money for retirement or playing the market. Taxes to them is a fact of life - whether someone raises or lowers taxes - didn't seem to phase them either. Note here that all of these guys are living under their parents roof.

One of them had his car idling in the driveway as we were talking. I said to him - you're wasting gas. His reply was - "The prices are coming down anyway".

When I heard that reply - I just gave up and left them to their own ignorance.

Now I know that not all young people are like this. Many have - in fact - really got into this election. But my guess is that their are fewer politically active younger voters out there than those like the ones I described above.

A sad commentary on the youth of this county - and the promise of the future.

[kimmylavin]

20. In their defense...

Not that I'm happy about such laziness regarding voting, but keep something in mind.

If your son's friend is 26, that means he was 18 in 2000.
That means that the only two presidential elections he could have voted in were stolen or a blatant flip-off to the will of the people.

You say they couldn't find jobs in their chosen field - no surprise - but that they took other jobs anyway. Then you call them lazy.

You chide them for not saving for retirement, but what have they seen happen to all of us "chumps" who believed in doing that? Enron, and now the past month.

I wish it were the other way, but I can understand where they might be coming from...

I'm not that much older than they are, but at least I got to vote for Clinton. :)


On the flip side, though, all the young folks I know are VERY fired up about this, and cannot wait to vote on Election Day!
Perhaps there is still hope for the future?

[global1]

22. Maybe Lazy Is Too Strong A Word - But Bottom Line They Lack Initiative.....

None of them seem interested in bettering themselves or wanting to get someone in office that could offer some hope for them. I agree with you that those last two elections and the Bush presidency really could have caused disenchantment in their eyes and maybe that makes them unmotivated. But that's a poor excuse. We now have a candidate with Obama that can maybe change things and if they took some time to understand what Obama could bring to the table - they should have gotten behind him and do everything possible to help him get elected.

Maybe because you are younger than me - you can understand where they might be coming from. In some way - I can understand that as well - but - if they don't get involved and take some initiative - they're going to spend the rest of their lives not having anything to push for or stand behind. This is what the Repugs want - an non-caring electorate that just stands down.

Look at the women - how they got behind Hillary. Look at the blacks how they got behind Obama. These are people that got fired up and have some reason to believe and perhaps change their lot in life. I'm not seeing this same attitude coming from these guys and that's a sorry commentary in today's day and age.

I went back and re-read my post. I did say that there are young folks that are fired up - I just don't think that there are enough of them. I really pray that those that have been politically active up till now - get out and vote. They will make a difference.

I'm just really disappointed in these guys - cause I watched most of them grow up. Saw how they played baseball and basketball and how they got fired up for things - as kids - they really cared about. To see these guys now - with their "I Don't Care Attitude" really makes me sad - probably more sad for them - because all of them are really smart and had a lot of promise - what a waste.

[kimmylavin]

23. You're right - it is sad.

And it really gets to me.

My husband doesn't care much - he's of the "my vote won't even be counted" crowd. (He does vote because I ask him too, though...)

But it is so disheartening to care so much about something that other people could care less about.
I do have the inclination sometimes to shake him and say - "Don't you realize that this concerns YOU? Your LIFE?"

I just keep plugging away, though. I have hope. :)

[global1]

24. Keep Hope Alive - Hang In There......

nice sharing with you.

[EFerrari]

13. Every year, student precincts are targeted for vote suppression by Republicans

because they know they come out for us.

And every year, the media underreports their turn out.

Remember, too, most of them are on cell phones and not landlines.

Don't ever misunderestimate our young voters!

[Posteritatis]

14. Started happening in Canada too

Though our voter turnout in the student age group actually is the shits...

[EFerrari]

18. In 2004, students got robocalls saying that if they voted in the wrong place,

they'd lose their financial aid.

And, their absentee ballots mysteriously went missing at a higher rate.


And their precincts were under equipped.

These bastards always target the most vulnerable voters. And students, because of their youth, their limited resources and their packed schedules, are vulnerable.

[demmiblue]

15. This helps

:wtf:

[bigtree]

16. during the primaries . . .

According to statistics gathered by Rock the Vote, in the 2008 primaries and caucuses, voter turnout by 18- to 29-year-olds increased by 103 percent or by 2,412,329 votes from the 2004 primary elections. In Tennessee alone, young voter turnout increased by 209 percent or by 95,942 votes.


Ian Orr, junior in the College Scholars Program and Tennessee deputy state coordinator for Students for Obama, said they have had no problem recruiting UT volunteers for the Obama campaign.

“We’ve created a listserv that ranges around 700 people that we e-mail that are volunteers,” Orr said. “The week before the primaries, we actually had 70 active volunteers on campus in one week. ... We have 20 people camping out (Sunday) night to be the first people to early vote at the UC (Monday). We have about 120 volunteers who’ll work with us up through election day. We’ve had absolutely no problem with apathy in the Obama campaign.”


read: http://dailybeacon.utk.edu/showarticle.php?articleid=54060

[Pakhet]

17. my daughter voted this morning and..

she and some of her friends ganged up on another friend and forced him to register to vote and then "bullied" him to the polls LOL - I don't know how he voted, she didn't tell me, but the important part is that he did vote

[WCIL]

19. My kids are voting on Tuesday at the their college

I assure you this is a VERY BIG DEAL to them, and they are both anxious to vote in their first presidential election.

They may get to drive over to Columbia to see Obama tomorrow, the lucky ducks!