From Black Enterprise Magazine...Swing Vote
By gwoman2
@gwoman2 (710)
United States
October 3, 2008 10:11am CST
Chossing the next President--Young america's clout!
According to BEM: Youth participation will be record breaking this year, they stand 45 million strong and by the year 2015 they will make up 1/3 of the electorate. The latest national youth survey conducted by Democracy Corps and the public opinion research firm, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner shows young voters support Obama by a wider margin than in 2006.
According to Professor of Political Sciences, Jason A. Johnson from Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio, young people will have the upper hand in this years election!
Through outlets such as social networking websites, text messaging, videos and political blogs voters under the age of 30 are making their concerns known. My Space and YTube are outlets for young adults to voice their opinions and concerns. These young people ages 18 to 29 are known as MILLENNIALS or GENERATION Y--
29 year old Bankole Thompson, a senior editor of the Michigan Chronicle defines millennials as "a diverse group of people who are often not considered to be meaningful contributors of society--they have greatly been underestimated." The top issues of this age group are the economy, the war in Iraq, and education followed by healthcare and immigration.
So...what do myLotters think of this?
NOTE: My youngest is voting for the very first time in her life and I'm hoping she will make an informed decision...Her older sister was very surprised that she watched the two debates with much interest...I only know that she does not like Palin...On her vote...I really don't know...I wonder if she'll tell me...I don't think it's appropiate for me to ask...
~G~
3 responses
@chameleonsdream (1230)
• United States
3 Oct 08
gwoman - on your note - that's funny! See my note above about my 18 year old voting for the first time this year. She's really done her research, too. She's actually sat down with her grandfather and asked him to explain to her why he votes Republican and why he thinks McCain is the better choice, and honestly listened to his answer. Mind you, this kid has espoused being the stereotypical airhead blond (she's not, by any means, but she sure tries hard to be clueless most of the time).
Seriously - anyone who is discounting the 18-29 year olds is watching the wrong group of young adults. We are living in a society where a 15 year old can build a thriving business on the Internet (and more than one has). Perhaps I'm steeped in it because my oldest works with youth, but I see a lot of young people stepping up to the plate to solve problems around us. I'm at the tail end of the Boomer generation, and what I find especially funny is how many of the Gen-Y kids are motivated by the same thing that motivated me to get involved - dealing with the problems that the last generation left behind them. It's a bit startling for me to get tagged as the one who caused the problems - and more than a little amusing.
1 person likes this
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
3 Oct 08
I was listening to an interview with a Political Science professor from one of the universities here in Florida and he said that, 4 years ago, he sponsored a voter registration event on campus and offered free pizza as an incentive to get students to come...only 3 showed up. This time around his event attracted more than 100 students and he wasn't even offering food. I'm glad to see young people are taking such an interest in the candidates and the election. I know that my youngest is disappointed that she won't be able to vote this time around...she won't be 18 until December.
@chameleonsdream (1230)
• United States
3 Oct 08
I see engagement on a personal level all around me. My kids are 15 to 25, and they are seriously interested in politics - and not just in Obama - for the first time ever. My 18 year old cast her vote for the first time in the primaries - she turned 18 just in time to vote, and made a point of going downtown to get a state ID (she doesn't drive) just so that she could do it. Of course, she was a little miffed that I wouldn't just -tell- her who she should vote for. After two days of reading, she turned away from the computer with a huge sigh and said, "Man, voting is hard work!" Amen!
@twoey68 (13627)
• United States
4 Oct 08
I think it's great that younger ppl are voting...I just hope they, like all the rest of the voters, actually take time to research the candidates and not just turn it into a popularity contest. Too many times ppl will pick a candidate based on God knows what and decide to vote for that one without ever learning what their plans, views, or stands on the issues are.
[b]**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~[/b]
