About Us
The results of a national poll released by Harvard’s Institute of Politics are alarming, with only 12 days before the presidential election. The poll shows that many young people do not intend to vote.
According to the survey, from September 19 to October 3, more than 2,000 interviews with young voters were conducted. Roughly 48 percent of interviewees said they would “definitely” vote this fall. Although a majority of them were optimistic about Barack Obama, they were not enthused enough by him to want to vote. In fact, more Mitt Romney supporters stated that they planned on voting in November.
Obama would not be pleased. Romney on the other hand....
Young voters preferred Obama because they thought him more qualified to handle major issues—like student loan debt—than Romney. The majority believed that Obama needs more time to solve the problems he inherited as president. Among likely-to-vote young adults enrolled in four-year colleges, Obama leads 48 percent to 38 percent, with 14 percent undecided. Young voters in swing states prefer Obama over Romney by 16 percentage points (54 percent to 38 percent).
This is unsurprising as Obama has made the issues of young people, such as student loan debt, the centerpieces of his campaign. In April, he toured colleges in the battleground states of Colorado, Iowa and North Carolina, to pitch a plan to push forward an extension of artificially low interest rates on student loans. He appeared on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to speak —and even to slow jam—about the issue of rising interest rates on student loans. Though Obama's efforts have garnered him greater support from young people, they have failed to inspire young people to vote.
“As enthusiasm for voting continues to slip among America’s 18 to 29-year-olds, the IOP’s latest poll shows a clear sentiment by young adults that Washington is broken,” Trey Grayson, Harvard Institute of Politics director, said. “We must work together to re-engage youth in the political process —a goal critical to the health and future of our democracy.”
However, if this video did not serve to excite young voters:
[youtube]36EdpUkBV1w[/youtube]
Nor this one:
[youtube]qKXZ6quhps0[/youtube]
Can anything?
Meidema comes from Queens, New York, and if you knew her that would explain a lot. She is an English major with a Creative Writing concentration, who hopes to one day have a more lucrative career than her interests suggest. She enjoys shopping, dancing, eating, rapping, and a whole lot of other verbs that are equally as awesome. She also enjoys being an Associate News Editor on the Gavel Media team, and encourages all y’all to follow its Facebook page!
