Young Voter Stats

- According to Harvard University’s Institute of Politics (IOP), nearly a third (32%) of 18 to 24 year olds “definitely” plan on voting in the November 2006 midterm elections. Among all 18 to 24 year olds surveyed, the subgroup most likely to vote on November 7 are recent college graduates (45% say they will definitely vote), while those who have never attended college or are still in high school are the least likely.
http://www.iop.harvard.edu/pdfs/survey/fall_2006_release.pdf

- In the most recent midterm election in 2002, 22% 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% of 18- to 29-year olds voted.
http://www.civicyouth.org/PopUps/FactSheets/FS_FastFacts2006/us_final.pdf

- It is estimated that there are 41.9 million young people (18-29) eligible to vote in 2006, compared to 158.2 million eligible adults age 30 and older. In 2002, 8.9 million young people voted in the midterm election (a 10% share of all voters, and a 22% Citizen Voter Turnout Rate). In 1994, 10.4 million young people voted in the election (a 12% share of all voters, and a 26% Citizen Voter Turnout Rate).
http://www.civicyouth.org/PopUps/FactSheets/FS_FastFacts2006/us_final.pdf

- In 2002, the three states with the highest level of youth voter turnout were Minnesota (45%), South Dakota (36%), and Alaska (34%). In contrast, the three states with the lowest voter turnout rates among young people in 2002 were Delaware (15%), West Virginia (15%) and Arizona (14%). It is likely that differences in electoral participation among young people across states was driven by high profile gubernatorial and Senate races and state wide initiatives in midterm years. In 2006, these factors again may help drive young people to the polls.
http://www.civicyouth.org/PopUps/FactSheets/FS_Youth_Voting_State_by_State_18-29.pdf

- In 2006, young people were more likely than adults 30 and older to identify as strictly independents (26% vs. 18%) and less likely to identify as Republicans (28% vs. 35%). Compared to 2002, somewhat more young adults are identifying as independents (up 2 points) though slightly fewer identify as Democrats (down 1 point).
http://www.civicyouth.org/PopUps/FactSheets/FS_FastFacts2006/us_final.pdf

- In the IOP’s poll, 52% of likely young voters (18-24) said they favor a Congress controlled by Democrats following the November elections, with a much lower amount favoring Republican control (29%). The remaining nineteen percent said they have no preference.
http://www.iop.harvard.edu/pdfs/survey/fall_2006_release.pdf

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 7th, 2006 at 12:23 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.