If Millennials Had Voted, Last Night Would Have Looked Very Different

[KamaAina]

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2014/11/if-millennials-had-voted-last-night-would-have-looked-very-different

The GOP’s big Election Day victory may have a lot to do with who didn’t show up at the polls—and one of the groups that stayed home at a record rate were young people. According to an NBC News exit poll, the percentage of voters aged 60 or older accounted for almost 40 percent of the vote, while voters under 30 accounted for a measly 12 percent. Young people’s share of the vote is typically smaller in midterm elections, but the valley between age groups in 2014 is the largest the US has seen in at least a decade.

And that valley made a huge difference for Democrats, because younger voters have been trending blue. Some 55 percent of young people who did turn up voted for Dems compared to 45 percent of those over 60.

An interactive predictor on the Fusion, the news site targeted at millennials, indicated how Democrats could have gained if young people had shown in greater numbers. Using 2010 vote totals and 2014 polling data, the tool lets users calculate the effect of greater turnout among voters under 30 in several key states.

On Tuesday, according to preliminary exit polls, young voters in Iowa favored Democrats by a slight margin—51 percent—but they made up only 12 percent of the total vote, leaving conservative Republican Joni Ernst the winner. In Georgia, 58 percent of young voters went for Democrat Michelle Nunn, but they made up 10 percent of the total who showed up to cast their ballots. In Colorado, where a sophisticated political machine delivered Democratic wins in 2010, the calculator shows that a full 71 percent of young people voted for Dems in 2010; exit polls indicate that young voters made up 14 percent of the final tally, leaving Mark Udall out in the cold.

[Dawson Leery]

1. 36% voter turnout = GOP landslides.

[monmouth4]

2. If the millenials had had something to vote for, to celebrate, maybe they would have. If candidates

did not run from the President, maybe more of the black electorate would have voted.

[FogerRox]

14. IT wasnt blacks who failed to turnout, it wasnt the youth vote either

http://www.civicyouth.org/21-3-youth-turnout-preliminary-estimate-comparable-to-recent-midterm-years/

[blkmusclmachine]

19. Millenials finally figured out Obama & the DC DEMS stand for NOTHING

but the 1%. They tired of being ignored and told to sit down, shut up, and clap harder.

[swilton]

24. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[HERVEPA]

27. Bullshit.

[Joe Turner]

29. Pure Truth ..................Excellente

[Cleita]

3. Young people don't show up for mid-terms unless it affects them directly.

Next time, put recreational marijuana, student loans, bring back the draft and even free college tuition on the ballot. Maybe none of those measures will stand a chance of being passed, but it will get them into the voting booth to vote the rest of the ballot.

[KamaAina]

4. MJ was on the ballot in Alaska.

Yet Begich still lost.

[Cleita]

6. But it got them out to vote, perhaps not for your candidate in Alaska,

which is politically a weird state, but in other states it could have gone in our favor.

[Arthur_Frain]

25. Probably lost..

Last time he picked up 4000 votes from the absentee/early mail ins to bring him the victory from behind. Seems like a steeper hill to climb to me this time (sure don't understand why though) but this one won't be definitively over until all of those votes are counted. Another two weeks.

MY vote is still in the mail room, I'm certain.

[FogerRox]

13. Youth vote was higher than in 2010, Premise of the OP is rank.

I'm not sure what the Mother Jones article is talking about.


http://www.civicyouth.org/21-3-youth-turnout-preliminary-estimate-comparable-to-recent-midterm-years/

[Cleita]

18. Turnout was still very low especially among that demographic. eom

[MillennialDem]

34. Thinking weed on the ballot is a silver bullet to get Millennials to vote is

foolish.

I'm technically a cusper (X or Millennial depending on who is counting... but growing up on the west coast with technology identify culturally a lot more with my same sex wife (3 years younger) than her gen X brothers (4 and 6 years older)).

That said, yes recreational marijuana should be on the ballot and free or reduced college tuition (even Scott Walker was promoting tuition freezes because he was scared). More same sex / trans rights as well should all be put on as part of a death by a thousands cuts package. I vote religiously because the republicans are utter dirt bags, but if recreational marijuana was on the ballot and I wasn't otherwise interested in politics..... yeah I sure as hell couldn't be arsed to go vote on it.

But the big daddy package to bring out Millennials as you said is student loan reform and I'd add more rights for immigrants and reproductive/womens/sexual equality issues.

[bowens43]

5. who do they have to vote for?

Dems refuse to be Dems, they move to the right instead of the left they almost run as republicans. They run away from Obama's successes , they run towards the religious nut jobs , the science deniers and the war mongers.

Seriously , what's their motivation?

fuck it we're getting the government we deserve

[onehandle]

7. Useless and staring at their phones.

Here's who they let win on Tuesday.

[IMG][/IMG]

[HockeyMom]

8. My Millennial Daughters did vote

but they live in Downstate New York which did no good as far as the rest of the country is concerned. As my older (gay married) daughter said, "We will never leave NYS". Her younger sister did not like Cuomo, but said, "A bad Democrat is better than ANY Republican". Thank ME, and not my husband. I taught my daughters very well, despite their father. They both married Democrats; male, and female.

[LeftInTX]

9. It's difficult to get young people involved in mid-terms

I'm embarrassed to say it wasn't until I was 38 and Newt Gingrich took over. I was like "What the heck just happened"?

[workinclasszero]

10. Simple question here

Did the Democrats give millennials a reason to come out and vote for them?

The answer of course is NO!

They were too busy running scared!!!!

[FogerRox]

12. 18-29 yr olds turned out, more than in 2010.

http://www.civicyouth.org/21-3-youth-turnout-preliminary-estimate-comparable-to-recent-midterm-years/

Asians and Latinos didnt.

[FogerRox]

11. Asians and Latinos stayed home not 18-30 year olds

http://www.civicyouth.org/21-3-youth-turnout-preliminary-estimate-comparable-to-recent-midterm-years/

[workinclasszero]

15. Ok so why would that be?

Maybe because more democrats running scared of fox new again?

Couldn't touch immigration reform now could we? What would our "friends" on hate radio and fox say?

Worked out great for the baggers when the democrats ran away from the president eh?

[FogerRox]

16. As Kos said. Obama shit on Latinos and Asians.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251385179

[Ykcutnek]

17. Not voting should render one ineligible for any type of government assistance. nt

[Doctor_J]

20. If millenials thought voting would alter their future, they would have voted

[Springslips]

22. Change 'thought' to 'knew'

With the GOP 'forcing' compromise with the President, their future will be altered very, very quickly.

Although you have a point, I have grown tired with sit out the vote ideas. 2000 sit out gave us Bush and 8-years of hell , and Citizen's United; 2010's the end to collective bargaining in some states and other right wing crap.

Not voting is just asking for more hell; that is what the young have fond--again.

[BlueDemKev]

21. I've been saying it for years...

...when Democrats VOTE, Democrats WIN. When Democrats stay home, they LOSE. Period. End of discussion.

Hagan (NC), Udall (CO), Crist (FL)...all lost because not enough progressive-leaning voters bothered to vote. Why? Because it was "just a midterm." Have we learned NOTHING from the 2010 disaster?

[aspirant]

23. united we stand

A little confusion here. Why are we micro-dissecting each progressive voting group turnout without addressing the solutions. Where is the simple 1 or 2 page platform that we can stand tall and feel pride from the depths of our hearts. These moral principles should include all groups. We need those special people who can organize the progressive needs being revealed daily on DU and put them into a format to be distributed by our grassroot enthusiasts. To depend on the democratic party to provide talking points is a futile journey. Solutions must come from "we the people" because corporate America has their spurs dug deeply into our politicians. Personal contact on the ground can overcome all the 30 second commercials we air. With all those mega millions or billions given to media corps, I ask how many jobs could we create for our young people?

[unrepentant progress]

26. Platforms matter

But actions, or the lack thereof, while in office even more.

[aspirant]

30. real hope

Are you referring to politicians actions while in office? We have waited for years for reps to do the right things. If you're referring to actions on the ground by "we the people" I'm totally with you.It's up to us to take back are country and not elect another politician with fingers crossed.

[Historic NY]

28. Its going to take a long time to regain lost ground now...

[enid602]

31. evangelical

Before we knock the millennials too much, we should consider this little tidbit from www.pewresearch.org:


" The growth in the number of religiously unaffiliated Americans – sometimes called the rise of the “nones” – is largely driven by generational replacement, the gradual supplanting of older generations by newer ones. A third of adults under 30 have no religious affiliation (32%), compared with just one-in-ten who are 65 and older (9%). And young adults today are much more likely to be unaffiliated than previous generations were at a similar stage in their lives.


ie, the evangelicals' kids are not following in their parents' footsteps. This has tremendous implications for the GOP.

[Reter]

32. But they didn't

So fuck them and their awful generation. Xer for life!

[lynne]

33. Both of my millennial children voted in VA

and there were quite a few of their friends at the polls. Possibly this problem is specific to certain parts of the country?

[gmb92]

35. Same turnout problems in every midterm

Voters tend to be older/whiter. Youth turnout has consistently been around 12% 2002-2014.

It worked ok in 2006 but it took 6 years of total and horrible Republican rule, Iraq, Soc Sec privatization attempts, and massive other failures to cause a Democratic wave and backlash among older voters. Republicans are good at scaring older/whiter people most of the normal time.

If somehow Democrats could get a large portion of their base to figure out how important every election is, Republicans would not have the power they have today. Democrats would have preserved Senate/House seats in 2010, gained modestly (as they did) in 2012, then held on to the Senate in 2014, setting up a filibuster-proof Senate possibility in 2016.

Instead, any gains they make presidential years are squandered in midterms. Republicans gain state legislatures as well, causing gerrymandering and unfair advantages in House races.

[KamaAina]

36. A-yup.

And welcome to DU! You sure picked a great time to join us.

[aspirant]

37. I am you and you are me

If only dems could determine what their base wants, I say here lies part of the problem. Why are we separating dems from our base, when we are dems and simultaneously the base too. Our grandfathers(hopefully alive) and all his friends are the base, so why not ask him why he's scared and what kind of things we could do for him so he can cheer up. In the 60's we were energized by the draft and another disastrous war so I know their is something that the young can circle the wagons about. If the dems/base can communicate honestly we can have a winning platform. Sen. Warren didn't go far enough with only lowering interest rates on student loans. Can we agree by turnout that that's not a winning motivator, but total forgiveness of all debt maybe will have students flooding to the polls? Let's talk between we the base, there lies the answers.

[NobodyHere]

38. What comes first

Politicians catering to the Millennials

or

Millennials showing up and voting



Seems like a catch-22