Hugh Hewitt on the 2006 Election: Part 2 by Motte Brown on 11/02/2006 at 2:15 PM

Ever since the voting age was lowered to 18 in 1972, there's been a great disparity in turnout between the under and over 30 age groups, particularly in midterm elections. In 2002, for example, just 22% of young adults ages 18-29 voted in the midterms compared with 52% of the 30 plus crowd. Will this year be any different? According to Kathleen Barr of Young Voter Strategies, young adults are "a group to watch on November 7th."

In a recent press release, Young Voter Strategies cites the upswing in young voter turnout for the 2004 presidential election as an indicator that "'Generation Y' is on the path toward a long-term increase in electoral participation." Heather Smith, Director of Young Voter Strategies says the key for 2006 is for the parties to actively reach out to young voters all the way through election day. And technology is making this easier for them to do.

More and more, candidates around the country are taking advantage of social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook to engage with young voters. Those who've tried it report substantial increases in online donations and volunteers from twentysomethings. I asked Hugh if any of this will make a difference in the under 30 turnout on Nov. 7th. He responded with skepticism for reasons consistent with research on why potential young voters don't vote: Distraction and cynicism.

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I remember the media talking up an energized electorate among young adults in the last few elections but it never really materialized. Is this the year young adults get out and vote?

Is the new social networking phenomena a way for politicians to finally engage young adult voters?

Zogby polls over the last few years on abortion find that young adults ages 18-29 are markedly more pro-life than previous generations. Will this new pro-life sentiment translate into votes?