Elections - Young People Turn Out in Numbers

“Arguably the environmental movement took off because kids convinced their parents to recycle.” Marty Kaplan

Young People are Turning out in Record Numbers for Elections American School Board Journal; April 2008, Vol. 195, Issue 4, p12. Retrieved April 3, 2008, from Academic Search Premier

I chose this article for several reasons. It was timely, exposed new trends in the way people get their news and it was interesting. The article focuses on young people being drawn to this year’s presidential campaign. With access to the internet and the social networks of MySpace, Facebook and YouTube, young people are more informed and seem to be more interested in the issues surrounding this year's presidential campaign. It also touches on the fact that the candidates realize the power of the internet and have websites directed toward the younger voter and even those not yet eligible to vote. It seems that the two candidates in the Democratic Party, who are not your typical candidates for obvious reasons, have gotten the attention of young voters. We all know children have a big influence on their parents and have been credited with helping the recycling trend to take off. Young adults having become more interested in politics from online exposure to the candidates and the issues, are having a similar effect on the parents who didn’t really think their vote counted. Parents are seeing their children excited about the presidential race and are rethinking how their vote also can make a difference this year.

I think the young people in this country will be the ones whose votes pick the next president by their shear number of new registered voters. They are well informed and have decided if there is to be change in this country it needs to start with them. It is all very exciting. I know my college age daughter has gone recently to her first presidential rally.

I got the article from the Regis University Library Database - Communications, Academic Search Premier using search terms mass media and Internet – select all text and see all results.