Tuesday, April 22, 2008
It's no secret that record numbers of young people have voted in this year's primary elections. From the Iowa caucuses through Super Tuesday, turnout has doubled, tripled and even quadrupled in some states. And a recent CBS News/ MTV poll found that young people are increasingly becoming more confident that they have a say in determining the next president.
Unfortunately, a closer look at the numbers reveals that not everyone is sharing in the electoral wealth. Almost all of those responsible for the under-30 surge at the polls were college students or folks with at least some college education.
Only 7 percent of eligible voters under the age of 30 without a college education showed up to vote on February 5, according to estimates by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). While 24 states held contests back on Super Tuesday, the study looked at results only from states that had both Republican and Democratic contests on the same day: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah.
While only 29 percent of Americans have a college degree, 45 percent of young people have at least some college experience, according to DEMOS, a public policy organization. And while the fact that 25 percent of people who went to at least one college class voted might not seem like a big turnout, it's more than three times higher than the measly 7 percent of the young people who have no education past high school.
"It just never really occurred to me to me to register to vote, actually," said 21-year-old Jennifer Herdman of Derry, Pennsylvania. "None of my friends are actually registered either."
Herdman is thinking of going to college, but she is more focused on starting her own small business in Derry, a small town in mostly rural Indiana County. That doesn't leave a lot of time for thinking about politics, even though she says she's seen tons of campaign ads about Pennsylvania's Democratic primary on Tuesday.
"I just think the political game is not really something I want to get into," she said.
Unfortunately, a closer look at the numbers reveals that not everyone is sharing in the electoral wealth. Almost all of those responsible for the under-30 surge at the polls were college students or folks with at least some college education.
Only 7 percent of eligible voters under the age of 30 without a college education showed up to vote on February 5, according to estimates by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). While 24 states held contests back on Super Tuesday, the study looked at results only from states that had both Republican and Democratic contests on the same day: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah.
While only 29 percent of Americans have a college degree, 45 percent of young people have at least some college experience, according to DEMOS, a public policy organization. And while the fact that 25 percent of people who went to at least one college class voted might not seem like a big turnout, it's more than three times higher than the measly 7 percent of the young people who have no education past high school.
"It just never really occurred to me to me to register to vote, actually," said 21-year-old Jennifer Herdman of Derry, Pennsylvania. "None of my friends are actually registered either."
Herdman is thinking of going to college, but she is more focused on starting her own small business in Derry, a small town in mostly rural Indiana County. That doesn't leave a lot of time for thinking about politics, even though she says she's seen tons of campaign ads about Pennsylvania's Democratic primary on Tuesday.
"I just think the political game is not really something I want to get into," she said.
IF YOU DO NOTHING TO MAKE THIS COUNTRY BETTER, YOU LOSE THE RIGHT TO COMPLAIN ABOUT IT GETTING WORSE.
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