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FEATURED: Will Young Voters Turn Out for the 2010 Election?
The volatile turnout of young people will be an important factor in the midterm elections, less than two months away. A new CIRCLE Fact Sheet on youth voter turnout by state provides historical perspective on the upcoming election.
In the 2008 presidential election youth voter turnout rose two percentage points compared to the 2004 election, which saw an increase of nine percentage points compared to the 2000 election. Despite the youth vote increasing nationally in 2008, the majority of states did not see an increase. Utah – a state which had an increase of 16 percentage points from 2000 to 2004 – saw a decrease of 19 percentage points, while Wisconsin fell 7 percentage points. Some states did experience large increases. Virginia rose 16 percentage points and North Carolina increased by 10 percentage points.
FEATURED: The Minority Youth Vote in the 2008 Presidential Election
With the midterms less than a week away, turnout among young people is an important factor. According to CIRCLE’s new fact sheet “The Minority Youth Vote in the 2008 Presidential Election” youth voter turnout increased for young people of all races between the 2004 and 2008 elections, with the exception of young white voters, whose turnout remained unchanged. Fifty-eight percent of African-American youth voted in 2008 – the highest turnout rate of any youth race/ethnic group since 1972. Although the 2006 midterm election did not follow the same trend as the 2008 Presidential election, data suggests that the minority youth vote can make a strong impact on the outcome of elections.
FEATURED: Voter Turnout Among Young Women and Men in the 2008 Presidential Election
In 2008, young voters, especially African-American females significantly increased their turnout rate. This is especially important with respect to the quickly approaching midterm elections. For young women, voter turnout since the 1998 midterm election has been on a steady increase. Despite this, there remains a significant turnout gap among young men and young women. The new CIRCLE fact sheet “Voter Turnout Among Young Women and Men in the 2008 Presidential Election” presents information on voter turnout for women and men with detailed information about racial and ethnic groups, differences in educational background and married and unmarried individuals.
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FEATURED: Voter Registration Among Young People in 2008
The new CIRCLE fact sheet “Voter Registration Among Young People in 2008” presents detailed information on registration rates among young people, broken down by racial and ethnic groups, differences in educational background, married and unmarried individuals, urbanicity, and state-by-state information. In 2000, voter registration among young people reached its lowest level (55%). Since then, young voters’ registration has been higher, and the rate stayed about the same in 2004 (60%) and 2008 (61%.) Registration is important because registering to vote is sometimes more difficult than the act of voting itself.
