RTV’s Heather Smith sat down with U.S. News and World Report to talk about Young Voters and the 2010 elections. Read the story here. But here’s a question for all you people who read our blog: We’ve posted two stories about us, the 18-29 year old voter. Have you been voting in the primaries? Have you reregistered to vote since you moved back from one dorm to your apartment? What about once you moved from one state to the next for a new job?
Are you using our online registration tool to get your friends registered to vote?
Below is a quick snippet of the story, but you really should read the whole thing, it’s good.
Rock the Vote first made waves back when Bill Clinton won the 1992 presidential election. Though it now represents a new generation, the nonpartisan organization’s mission—getting young voters to the polls—is stronger than ever, says its president, Heather Smith. From concerts and festivals to civics classes and old-fashioned door-knocking, Rock the Vote is launching the nation’s largest ever midterm-election registration drive for people 18 to 29 years old. At the group’s Washington headquarters, Smith sat down with U.S. News to talk about the influence of young voters and why politicians should pay attention to them.
How do young people tend to diverge politically from the general public?
If young people hadn’t turned out in 2008, it would have been a 50/50 electorate. The young people came out and voted overwhelmingly for Barack Obama about 2 to 1, and that made a big difference. Each generation has its own values, and they tend to stick with you for life. What we’re learning about these young people, particularly 18- to 29-year-olds, is that they’re incredibly diverse; they’re incredibly tolerant; they see a real role for government; they’re very trusting; they’re very optimistic that everything will be okay; they don’t get riled up by all this anger and fear; and they want to believe in something.
