Youth Voters Opt for Democrats in 2006

CIRCLE releases a new fact sheet on Young Voters in the 2006 Elections.

• Turnout among 18-29 year-olds increased for the second major election in a row.
• Young adults voted for the Democratic candidate over the Republican candidate in races for the House of Representatives (58% vs. 38%), the Senate (60% vs. 33%) and governor (55% vs. 34%).

Download the fact sheet here.

What Works: Getting Young Voters to the Polls

A new report from CIRCLE and Young Voter Strategies analyzes specific get-out-the-vote tactics to uncover what works, what doesn't and what the tactics cost per vote. For more on what works click here.

Youth Voting Trends: Midterm Elections (Age 18-29)

In 2006, young people were more likely than adults 30 and older to identify as strictly independents (26 percent vs. 18 percent) and less likely to identify as Republicans (28 percent vs. 35 percent). Compared to 2002, somewhat more young adults are identifying as independents (up 2 points) though slightly fewer identify as Democrats (down 1 point).

In the most recent midterm election in 2002, 22 percent of young adults voted. However, the best comparison to this year's election may be the 1994 midterm, because it was the last midterm to follow a similar surge in youth voting. In 1994, 26 percent of 18- to 29-year olds voted.

In 2002, the three states with the highest level of youth voter turnout were Minnesota (45 percent), South Dakota (36 percent), and Alaska (34 percent). In contrast, the three states with the lowest voter turnout rates among young people in 2002 were Delaware (15 percent), West Virginia (15 percent) and Arizona (14 percent.

Source: Quick Facts on Young Voters: 2006

Youth Voting Trends: Presidential Elections (Age 18-24- tabulations for age 18-29 available upon request)

Youth voting surged by 11 percentage points in 2004. In presidential election years between 1972 and 2000, the turnout rate had declined by 16 percentage points among young citizens before rebounding by 11 percentage points in the 2004 election. It remains to be seen if the increase in youth turnout in 2004 is part of a new trend or is instead a spike in youth electoral participation like the 1992 election.

In 2004, 47% of 18-24 year old citizens voted, 66% of citizens 25 and older voted.

Single young people, particularly women, are more likely to vote than married young people. The turnout among single women age 18-24 led the way and increased by 12 percentage points, or about one third, since 2000.

Source: The Youth Vote 2004

In 2004 youth voter turnout was highest in Minnesota (69%), Wisconsin (63%), Iowa (62%), Maine (59%), and New Hampshire (58%).

Source: Youth Voter Turnout in the States and Youth Voter State Map

Young women voted at higher rates than young men in the 2004 election. 50 percent of 18-24 year old women and 44 percent of young men voted in 2004.

Source: Voter Turnout Among Women and Men

In 2004, much of the surge in youth voting was driven by an increase in voting among African-American youth. African-American turnout fell off in the 1988 election and remained relatively stable until the 2004 election, in which African-Americans
experienced a jump in turnout of more than 11 percentage points over 2000—the greatest increase in turnout of any racial or ethnic minority group during the recent election cycle.

Source: Electoral Engagement Among Minority Youth

Despite concerns that college students would face barriers when casting their votes, nearly nine in ten reported that they thought voting was easy. Less than four percent said they tried to register but were unable to do so. Only a handful (less than 1%) claimed that they went to the polls but were not allowed to vote.

Source: College students in the 2004 Election

Voting Laws & Youth Turnout
States that allow Election Day registration, on average, have youth voter turnout rates that are 14 percentage points higher, and they are more likely to be contacted by a political candidate.

Three of the top five states for youth voting in 2000 allowed Election Day registration (MN, WI, ME).

Other state laws that seem to increase youth voting are: early voting at convenient locations and voter registration at state motor vehicle agencies.

In states that mailed sample ballots & information about polling places and extended polling place hours, youth turnout increased by about 10 percentage points.

Source: Easier Voting Methods Boost Youth Turnout and State Voter Registration and Election Day Laws and How Postregistration Laws Affect the Turnout of Registrants

Getting Out the Youth Vote: What Works

• Personalized and interactive contact counts. The most effective way of getting a new voter is the in-person door knock by a peer; the least effective is an automated phone call. Canvassing costs $11 to $14 per new vote, followed closely by phone banks at $10 to $25 per new vote. Robocalls mobilize so few voters that they cost $275 per new vote. (These costs are figured per vote that would not be cast without the mobilizing effort.)
• Begin with the basics. Telling a new voter where to vote, when to vote and how to use the voting machines increases turnout.
• The medium is more important than the message. Partisan and nonpartisan, negative and positive messages seem to work about the same. The important factor is the degree to which the contact is personalized.
• In ethnic and immigrant communities, start young. Young voters in these communities are easier to reach, are more likely to speak English (cutting down translation costs), and are the most effective messengers within their communities.
• Initial mobilization produces repeat voters. If an individual has been motivated to get to the polls once, they are more likely to return. So, getting young people to vote early could be key to raising a new generation of voters.
• Leaving young voters off contact lists is a costly mistake. Some campaigns still bypass young voters, but research shows they respond cost-effectively when contacted.

Source: Young Voter Mobilization Tactics

Personally contacting young people on Election Day can significantly increase youth voter turnout, but only if they've already expressed interest in voting.

Source: The Effects of an Election Day Voter Mobilization Campaign Targeting Young Voters by Donald P. Green

Local Political Parties and Youth
About nine-in-ten local party leaders say youth political engagement is a serious problem.

93% of local party leaders feel local parties can make a big difference in getting young people involved in politics.

Only 8% of the party chairs identified young people as the most important demographic for the “long-term success of their party,” compared to 21% who named senior citizens.

Source: Throwing a Better Party: Local Mobilizing Institutions and the Youth Vote