Young People in the House! (and Senate)
We just knocked out a press release that tells the big story of the election: young Americans came out to make their voices heard, in droves. Eighteen-to-29 year olds made up 13 percent of the people who went to the polls yesterday -- a jump of 20 percent over their portion of the turnout in 2002.
Given the tight margins in so many of the campaigns, that difference may have swung the results in districts all over the country. Read the release to get the full story:
YOUNG VOTER TURNOUT SURGES IN 2006
Participation climbs for second straight major election;
18-29s vote for Democrats by 22-point marginYoung voters turned out to vote in higher numbers and favored Democrats by a wide margin, according to exit polls, providing a major boost to Democratic candidates in yesterday’s House and Senate elections. The 2006 turnout increase follows on the unprecedented 2004 youth turnout and provides further evidence that the new generation coming of age today is more engaged than young voters in recent decades.
Exit polls on CNN’s website confirm that young voters increased their share of the electorate substantially from 2002. In 2002, 18-29s comprised 11% of all votes cast; in yesterday’s 2006 election, 18-29s cast 13% of the votes. This is a significant result, considering that young people are actually a smaller share of the electorate in 2006 than they were in 2002, and also that turnout overall in the 2006 election appears to be up from 2002. The data shows that the increase in voter turnout for 18-29 year olds in 2006 significantly outpaced the overall population turnout increase.
The 2006 results continue the positive trend from 2004, when young voters also outpaced the turnout increase in the presidential election. Turnout for 18-29s climbed more than 9 percentage points in 2004, with 4.6 million more young voters showing up than in 2000, according to the University of Maryland’s youth voter research institute, CIRCLE.
With a confirmed Democratic take-over of the House and the Senate hanging in the balance, young people also have demonstrated their political clout. CNN’s national exit polls show young voters favored Democrats by a 22-point margin, nearly three times the margin that Democrats earned among other age groups.
“Young voters increased their turnout and favored Democrats by large margins,” said Hans Riemer, Rock the Vote’s political director. “They played a major role in the Democratic victory.”
A sample of exit polling from close Senate races around the country shows that the youth vote was key to the Democratic victory.
- Virginia: 52% Democratic, 48% Republican
- Rhode Island: 65% Democratic, 35% Republican
- Pennsylvania: 68% Democratic, 32% Republican
- Ohio: 57% Democratic, 43% Republican
- Missouri: 49% Democratic, 48% Republican
- Montana: 56% Democratic, 44% Republican
Results from House races also show a strong impact for Democrats from the youth vote increase.
With Democrats depending on young voters for their election showing, Republicans will have a strong incentive to win the margin back for 2008. Historical data shows that when a person votes with one party for three consecutive elections, that person stays with the party for life. If Democrats should win the youth vote again in 2008 there could be serious long-term political consequences—as the generation increases its voting turnout over time and becomes a larger share of the electorate.
ABOUT ROCK THE VOTE: Rock the Vote is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to building political power for young people (www.rockthevote.com). Founded in 1990, Rock the Vote helped spark a major increase in young voter turnout in 2004, registering 1.4 million young voters.Additional data about young voter turnout in 2006 is available at Young Voter Strategies (www.youngvoterstrategies.com).
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posted by Hans Riemer at 6:14 PM
13 Comments:
It is great that such a significant percentage of voters were "young". Of course the numbers quoted here may not be accurate but there seems to be a trend for younger people to get more involved in politics. My concern is that most of the young voters are voting for candidates that favor big government. This shows a contradiction in values. On one hand, younger people say they want more freedom. On the other hand, they are voting in a pattern that ends up taking freedom away from the individual. This is not as surprising to me as it is disturbing. I am not surprised because the parents of these young people have overwhelmingly voted to increase the size of the government and to decrease the personal responsibilities that are inherent to free people. In addition to seeing their parents vote for less freedom many are attending colleges and universities that preach (I mean teach) about the virtues of a government that is responsible for your income to your common sense. Is there anything free about having the government taking money (at the point of a gun) from one person and giving it to someone else? That is what Social Security does. That is what the welfare system does. That is what the democratic party stands for. Am I happy that young people are interested in voting? Yes. Am I happy that they are voting for the government to take more money and freedom from me? No. Are you?
Yes, I am.
I am one of those pesky young Democratic voters - and the reason I vote Democrat is because I want to live my life in such a way that I can help others. I understand that the government takes money away from me - but so what? I'm hardly well off, but I have been blessed with so much in my life. I have so much more than others in my state have, SO much more than those in other countries have. How can I complain?
I understand the value of hard work. I work two jobs to help pay my way through college - but at least I'm going to college, where so many others do not. Think how hard it must be for those who work far harder than I do and NEVER get ahead. Is it right to deny them the chance? Is it right to deny senior citizens social security checks because they had five children to raise on a meager salary and never had a chance to save money for retirement?
What my parents taught me - and what I will someday teach my children - is that in order to live a happy and fulfilled life, you must also concern yourself with the happiness and fulfillment of others. If I have to sacrifice a significant portion of my salary - or "freedoms" which I highly doubt are as fundamental as the rights violated by the Patriot Act - then so be it. I am proud of my generation's compassion and enthusiasm. Aren't you?
Wow, if you guys were going to claim to educate young voters you could at least educate them. How much money do you guys get from the Democratic party? I hope all of the young Americans realize this is a left wing organization not one that is educating voters!!!
Let's look at the facts. The higher income population tends to vote Republican and the lower income population tends to vote Democrat. So, it would make sense to say that it would benefit the Democrats to have more lower income people in the country and the Republicans would benefit from having more higher income voters. So which party do you think would be more iclined to help the people get ahead in life? I guess we would have to say the Republicans on this one! Of course it is real easy for the Democrats to say they are trying to help everyone and they love minorities while they drive around in their Mercedes but do they really want to help?
Whoa, whoa, whoa. I think it's crossing the line to imply that Democrats don't want to help people. Just as I think it would be crossing the line to say that Republicans don't want to help people.
For all intents and purposes the country is fairly evenly split Republican/Democrat. To denounce an entire fifty percent of the country is non-compassionate is ridiculous.
I consider myself to be a fairly caring person. I work for a non-profit and perform a lot of community service both because I enjoy it and because I believe it helps people. I'm also a member of the Green Party. I certainly don't think my political party has a monopoly on kindness. It takes all kinds.
Most people do care about others - it's just a matter of which political party you think will do the best job of it.
I'm not really trying to change anyone's mind with this post 'cause as my grandma says, "People just think what they think." I just want to vent, so here goes: While it may in fact be true that college-educated upper-middleclass voters lean Democratic this is probably because they have knowledge of the unfair power structure, but are not as invested in it as the really really rich who overwhelmingly lean Republican. Also, Republicans are conservative which by definition equals reactionary. This means that they are against revolution. And where do revolutions come from? The middleclass. Presumably this explains why the rich have been getting richer and the poor poorer under a Republican congress and president. A lot of poor and a lot of rich leaves no middleclass and no revolution: A perpetual status-quo if you will. Based on this I actually think that it takes one kind (not all kinds): Compassionate people. Those who start wars, say that gay sex is like dog sex like Rick "man-on-dog" Santorum, and call dark-skinned Americans monkeys are not compassionate in my book. Viva the coming Democratic-Communism in which all decide that none should live in poverty, even the right-wing jerks I ever so love to rail against!
Enjoy your draft, "young people"!!
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/19/rangel.draft.ap/index.html
You people just got played...SUCKERS!!!
After all your scare tactics in 2004 trying to defeat Bush, look who's calling for a return of the draft...the Dems. Like the man said, "You got played"
So Hans, don't you think it fits the mandate of Rock The Vote to at least mention Rangel's bill bringing back the draft since it does affect young voters ages 18-42?
Seems like an important piece of information regarding the new Democratic controlled House.
I got $10 that Hans mentions nothing about this draft bill, unless it happens to be passed, in which case Mr. Leftist Demagogue himself will turn around and blame Bush for it.
Nice going Hans. You and your corrupt organization just managed to get an entire generation of "young people" to vote for a party that wants to force them into combat. I suppose that makes sense given that you spent a good few years before this waging a Jihad to get those same "young people" to support a Social Security system that will rob them of tens of thousands of dollars over their lifetimes, and then give them a paltry return.
Oh well, this is what happens when a 30-something year old political hack tries to be the voice of "young people."
Just to give this draft debate (or non-debate as the case may be) a bit of perspective, here is a run down of links to RTV blog posts back in 2004 when the fictional call for a draft began (again staring Charles Rangel, who two years ago accused Bush of wanting a draft and then put forth a draft legislation as a way to scare people, of course back then he claimed he wasn't serious... oh what a different two years makes!). NOTE: These are only the links I could find in a few minutes...
http://blog.rockthevote.com/2004/09/draft-your-friends.html
http://blog.rockthevote.com/2004/09/if-you-register-for-draft-then-why-not.html
http://blog.rockthevote.com/2004/10/officials-respond-to-assertions-about.html
http://blog.rockthevote.com/2004/10/bringing-you-todays-news-today.html
http://blog.rockthevote.com/2004/10/cnn-reports.html
http://blog.rockthevote.com/2004/10/let-haters-hate-and-players-play.html
http://blog.rockthevote.com/2004/10/party-chairmen-debate-draft-from.html
http://blog.rockthevote.com/2004/10/more-than-meets-eye-with-draft-denials.html
http://blog.rockthevote.com/2004/10/our-opinion-on-draft-time-to-talk.html
http://blog.rockthevote.com/2004/10/military-expert-ohanlon-on-draft-issue.html
http://blog.rockthevote.com/2004/10/republican-party-chairman-tells-us-to.html
http://blog.rockthevote.com/2004/10/draft-issue-gains-momentum.html
http://blog.rockthevote.com/2004/10/rock-vote-draft-campaign-garners.html
http://blog.rockthevote.com/2004/10/bush-and-kerry-debate-idea-of-military.html
http://blog.rockthevote.com/2004/10/pentagon-memo-shows-government-has.html
http://blog.rockthevote.com/2004/10/alert-congress-votes-on-draft.html
Seems a bit lopsided to have so many articles (many of which were posted one after another) back in 2004 during the presidential election, yet two years later we have an elected Congressman going on news programs telling the American people he is not only serious but WILL put forth the bill to reinstate a mandatory serivce once his party gains power in Jan. Yet Hans and Co. are no where to been seen on the issue.
What is wrong Hans? Can't stomach the fact that the party the majority of young people supported in the election is responsible for advocating the return of the draft?
Oh and in case anyone is thinking, there is no way this would pass, I point you to the history lesson of the day, the passing of the federal income tax. Republicans allowed a vote to take place on the ratification of a federal income tax as a political ploy, believing there was no way the states would come up with the votes to pass the amendment, and it blew up in their face. So if anyone sits there and tells you this bill will go no where, and not to worry about it, I say tell them to get off their butts and begin calling your congressman/woman to let your voice be known.
Second anonymous: I think it is great that you want to help other people. It is my belief that we all should be willing to help our neighbors and others that are in need. Your post seems to suggest that you do not want to actually help them unless the government decides where , how and when that help goes. Are you too weak to help people without the government telling you too? You and I are not alone. Many people are more than willing to help those in need. They become less willing when they are faced with the government taking their money from them and spending it in a reckless and inefficient manner. You do not have to look very far to find someone who will say the government wastes a tremendous amount of money. Yet, you are saying that the government should have even more money to spend (waste). Are you serious? The government was not set up to be a charity organization for obvious reasons. The politicians (Democrat and Republican) came up with the idea of the government being in the charity business precisely with the idea of getting their hands on more of your money. They use this money to buy votes that help keep them in power. The worst part is that we (collectively as voters or non-voters) continue to support this scam. If you want the government to be in charge of your money, fine. You have no moral right to suggest that they do the same with someone else's money. In fact, that is an immoral belief.
Sean's post above makes the point loud and clear that Hans Reimer has pulled the wool over the eyes of the "young people" for years as head of Rock the Vote. It is truly sickening that such a partisan hack calls himself the face of a "non-partisan" organization.
But perhaps even more sickening is the stunning misrepresentation of facts that Hans Reimer engaged in back in 2004 when his organization actively attempted to insinuate that the Bush administration was going to try to bring back the draft. And now that Charlie Rangel - as a member of the Democratic majority - plans to bring the draft bill back to the floor, where the Republicans can no longer stop it - Hans falls silent.
Hans Reimer's silence is deafening. It's too bad the media doesn't pay attention to the political hackery that goes on at Rock the Vote, because Reimer's fraud would make quite the story.
Bush lied, people died. But Reimers lied, and as a result young people could get sent off to die.
Is there any difference? Not really, except that Bush has to face political consequences for his actions, while Reimer hides behind his computer screen and gets off scot-free despite his butchering of a "non-partisan" organization.
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