Young People Not Voting Early

[applegrove]

Young People Not Voting Early

October 28, 2022 at 7:10 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 47 Comments

https://politicalwire.com/2022/10/28/young-voters-not-voting-early/

"SNIP.......

“Add this to the list of Democratic worries ahead of the midterms: Younger voters — a cornerstone of the party’s electoral coalition — make up a smaller share of early and absentee voters so far than they did in 2020,” Politico reports.

“More than 15 million voters have already cast their midterm ballots, according to the United States Elections Project. But young voters have contributed to a smaller fraction of that turnout compared to this time two years ago.”

......SNIP"

[hamsterjill]

1. Look, if young women don't know what is at stake in this election

I cannot understand it for them.

We need everyone on our side to make it to the polls. Not just talk about it, but make it there and cast a ballot.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

15. Think about what you just wrote - young women clearly don't know what's at stake

They've never had to travel 5 states away for a legal abortion of find a place where an illegal abortion could be done. They have no concept of what a country where the pill isn't legal looks like. That's their grandmothers or in many cases their great-grandmother's fight. They might understand intellectually, but there is less living memory left of those days. Just in the same manner that the lessons of WW II are being forgotten or ignored.

[hamsterjill]

18. Well they better figure it out - and fast!

When they see their friends dying from a pregnancy or illegal abortion, they will learn just like their grandmothers did.

But as I said - I can’t understand it for them.

[iemanja]

37. That they haven't voted early doesn't mean they won't vote

[hamsterjill]

39. No, it doesn't.

But it does mean they aren’t rushing to the polls. I’m in my sixties and work full time. I made sure to be at the polls the first day of early voting because CHOICE is that important to me, and I am too old to be affected by it myself. But I want it available for younger generations.

[gab13by13]

2. What the hell is the United States Election Project?

Screw them and the other polls.

[brooklynite]

4. Took all of 30 seconds to find out...

The United States Elections Project is an information source for the United States electoral system. The mission of the project is to provide timely and accurate election statistics, electoral laws, research reports, and other useful information regarding the United States electoral system. By providing this information, the project seeks to inform the people of the United States on how their electoral system works, how it may be improved, and how they can participate in it.

University of Florida
Department of Political Science

https://www.electproject.org

[JohnSJ]

6. and how do they determine which demographic is actually voting early?

https://time.com/6223871/midterms-voting-turnout-results/

[Emile]

14. Paid for blowing smoke out their ass?

[Act_of_Reparation]

22. I'm guessing the same way we determine which demographics are voting on election day.

[Celerity]

23. it is also based off only 6 states's data

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217293699#post21

[W_HAMILTON]

3. Why would they compare it to 2020?

2018 would be the better comparison, not only because it is midterm-to-midterm but also due to all the change in voting tendencies brought about by the pandemic.

[LymphocyteLover]

7. Yes, good point

[calguy]

5. The future belongs to younger voters

They are the majority and outnumber us baby boomers now.
If they fail to use their power and let the country fall into the hands of those who are against their interests, then it's going to be all on them.

[LymphocyteLover]

8. Yep. Agreed. I just hope they understand what is at stake here.

[comradebillyboy]

26. Let's hope they choose to vote. But there's little reason

to think they will based on past experience.

[sarisataka]

9. Unpossible

I read just a day or so ago that young people are extremely politically aware. They will vote in droves without any encouragement needed.

[SoBlueInFL]

10. Only my personal observation: My husband and I voted on Monday r/o

(first day of e.v. in FL) and we didn't see a single voter younger than middle age. It was very disheartening.

[Ocelot II]

11. Maybe early voting isn't as big a deal as it was during the peak of the pandemic.

I voted early in 2020 because of covid; I'll vote at my polling place this year because I'm less worried about being in a public place. Could be that a lot of other people, young or otherwise, feel the same way.

[Emile]

12. Help GOTV then!

[Xoan]

13. Politico is a rag.

[TheProle]

38. What does that have to do with PoliticalWire?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_Wire

is not

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politico

[Omnipresent]

16. Voting should be done online.

This would be in their wheelhouse, if it were provided.

[madville]

35. No way

There needs to be a paper trail

[multigraincracker]

17. My tradition is to bundle up and

make the long walk to the poll on election morning. Snow, wind and 5 lanes of cars speeding by while texting on their phones. Time to meditate on my vote and what it means.
Not once have I ever seen anyone under 35 in there voting.

[CatWoman]

19. ....

[Ursus Rex]

20. I'm sorry, I .. I just don't see it that way.

I hope I'm surprised and they show up to vote for the Democrats, instead of texting outraged comments.

[SoBlueInFL]

27. Me too but r/o

I've heard way too many stories that make me shake my head in disbelief. A friend's little sister was in college during the '16 election. She and her friends were so sure that Hillary was going to win that they had a celebration the night *before* the election. She was so hung over the next day that she didn't bother voting. The rest is history.

I'm always fearful that the tweets of outrage will come to nothing with that age group.

[CatWoman]

28. of course you watched the video, correct?

[peggysue2]

33. Thanks for the vid, CatWoman

One of the things I've been reading is not to expect young voters in the early or mail-in tabulations. With the exception of 2020 and the scourge of Covid, young voters are more typically E-day voters.

There's a lot at stake for America's youth (for everyone, of course). Here's hoping we all recognize the impending danger and respond accordingly at the ballot box.

[Celerity]

21. This is based off only SIX states' data, ffs (CT, GA, KS, LA, NC, PA)

https://rpubs.com/ElectProject/early_vote_2022

Also it is chalk and cheese to compare a midterm to a general, especially for a cohort who is less likely to vote early/via mail.

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/28/young-voters-dem-early-00063929

Early voting data is not a crystal ball for the coming election: Operatives from both parties and political analysts are quick to note that shifting voter habits after the Covid-19 pandemic, changing laws and former President Donald Trump’s repeated attempts to sow doubt about mail voting also make it hard to establish a solid early voting baseline.

Young voters have historically been less likely to vote early or by mail than older voters. They also generally turn out in lower numbers overall and are more likely to drop out of the electorate in midterm years — though they were key to Biden’s 2020 victory, when turnout among voters under 30 was 11 points higher compared to the previous presidential election, according to an analysis by researchers at Tufts University. Voters in that age group went for Biden by an estimated 25-point margin.

[JohnSJ]

30. Thanks Celerity. Context is important. Actually that is 6 states you listed, not five by the way

[Celerity]

31. arf, 6, yes, it double listed NC on their site, and I miscounted after I removed, I will fix, thanks

[JohnSJ]

32. +++

[Samrob]

25. Perhaps they are planning an onslaught for election day to get their message across on gun reform

and other issues that affect them. I have faith in our young voters. I remember how they came together over school shootings and guns. It's we older folks who need to get fired up! Instead of bemoaning their not showing up early, think about what we can do to get them out to vote in November. Ask them to organize a movement to show their unified power come November. I am trying to get my teen grands to organize a movement with their college friends. Young people like to be part of a movement and joined by their peers.

[Emile]

29. +1

[Efilroft Sul]

34. Even the most responsible college-age kids rarely turn in term papers ahead of the due date.

Given that they know the stakes of this election, we have to trust they show up.

And for what it's worth, my college freshman still hasn't received his ballot in the mail, although yesterday he finally got an email saying it's on the way. This is in Pennsylvania.

[pstokely]

36. but they'll camp out for good seats at Bball games

but that probably stopped after tickets went digital

[Conjuay]

40. Most of the

people I work with are under thirty five. (Of the approximately sixty of us, there are seven or eight of us above 40.) The 'kids' are carrying on about Halloween; they started talking about it in August. Once they get past the spiders and bats, they might show up in greater numbers at the polls.
We'll see...