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Young voters represented a greater share of the national electorate Tuesday than in the historic election of 2008, once again voting for President Barack Obama by a huge margin and securing his reelection.
Millennials, young voters between ages 18 and 29, cast 16 million votes for Obama in 2008, giving the then presidential hopeful a margin of victory in a least three states. Reports released before Nov. 6 showed young voters may be less engaged this time around, raising concerns for the Obama campaign during this election’s tight race.
In 2008, more American voters under 30 voted than in almost any previous election since 18-year-olds were granted the right to vote in 1972. Obama won three states – Virginia, North Carolina, and Indiana – in 2008 with the youth vote, giving him the push he needed to win the election. However, a series of polls this election have led to concerns that the youth vote may be wavering.
“Things were more emotional in 2008. The flash is gone. The complicated issues aren’t exciting to the average person,” State Rep. Marcus Evans, Jr. (D-33) said.
The stakes this election were high and no one knew in which direction the youth vote would go. While many were doubtful that young voters were not going to show up at the polls, voters from ages 18 to 29 represented 19 percent (a one percentage increase from 2008) of all those who voted Tuesday, according to the early National Exit Poll conducted by Edison Research. Since the youth vote represents about 21 percent of the voting-eligible population, according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement’s (CIRCLE) analysis of Census data, a 19 percent turnout is fairly high.
Younger voters were especially key for Obama in the battleground states of Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia, according to reports from CIRCLE. With the race being closer than in 2008, the Commander in Chief needed the youth vote Nov. 6 to secure his second term.
First-time voters who missed the opportunity to vote in the historic election really showed up this election, refusing to miss their chance twice.
Kelsey Guthrie, a junior at DePaul and native of Saint Louis, Miss., was too young to vote in 2008.
“From what I remember, I was more impacted by the 2008 election than I actually was any other election, so I kind of missed out because I was a sophomore in high school, so I wasn’t even 18 yet,” Guthrie said. “I was kind of disappointed that I didn’t get a chance to vote.”
Olivia Morris, a college student and resident of Chicago’s 43rd Ward, made sure to register early, and got out to cast her ballet at DePaul’s Athletic Center before the lunch rush.
“It was interesting. I voted in Tennessee actually because I was a senior in high school and it was my birthday a couple of months before,” Morris said.
Although it was not her first time voting, Morris said it was her first time casting an informed vote.
“I feel like four years ago I was making my decision based on the hype, and this year it was more of an informed decision,” Morris said. “I was taking a little more time to look into the other candidates and the Green Party, which I didn’t necessarily look into before.”
A few things have changed in the nation since 2008 – the recession, foreclosure and banking crisis, unemployment and layoffs, and, hyper-partisan battles in Congress, and in state legislatures, have taken a toll on Americans, especially the youth. Many college students have graduated with no jobs and mounting debt.
Morris said student and women’s issues are what made the difference in her vote this year.
“It was a different kind of hype. For me, this year’s issues personally were more about students and women’s health issues, and that was what I took into consideration,” Morris said. “Whereas four years ago, it was just like let’s get Bush out of office and move forward with something new.”
Obama’s platform has focused on key issues affecting students, including student financial aid and the Obamacare provision that would allow young people to stay on their parents’ insurance plans until the age of 26. Young voters have praised Romney for his views on boosting the economy, however, many young voters have criticized him for not including social issues that effect students in his platform.
“[Obama’s] addressing the needs of young people,” Evans said.
In 2008, an estimated 50.8 percent of young people in Illinois. cast a ballot. This year, there was an estimated 2,031,000 18-to 29-year-old citizens eligible to vote in Illinois. While the numbers are still coming in, it is apparent that young voters in Illinois cast ballots in close numbers to 2008.
For Michael Burton, a senior Broadcast Journalism student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, voting for the first time was an act of social responsibility. Many young and first-time voters share his sentiment.
“Voting made me feel socially responsible,” Burton said. “It felt good to vote, but the 2008 election had more hype.”
While many have argued this year’s presidential election lacked the flair that made Obama a trending topic in 2008, it is apparent that the hype, though subdued, is still alive, and young voters stepped up to support the president.
“I believe there was a more unified desperation for change in 2008. Now, there is a very distinguished line separating voters who are desperate for change and the voters who are desperate to keep the policies and ideologies of the Obama Administration in place,” Burton. “The hype is still there, but it’s just not as unified – it’s changed.”