Published by CQ Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc. www.cqresearcher.com Young voters Can White House hopefuls win over Millennials? s the 2016 presidential election approaches, can - didates are trying especially hard to show they’re heeding the concerns of voters in their teens, 20s A and mid-30s, known as millennials. many politi - ca l experts say the 75-million-member group — the country’s biggest generation — is up for grabs. Indeed, a recent poll showed 40 percent of under-30 voters call themselves politically independent, with 37 percent identifying as Democrats and 22 percent as Re - publicans. well-educated and more technologically savvy than older Young supporters rally for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a socialist independent who has voters, they share a distaste for traditional political posturing. They garnered surprising backing in his quest for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, have proved — most notably with Barack Obama’s presidential in Los Angeles on Aug. 10, 2015. Candidates are targeting their efforts at the 75-million-member Millennial generation, the nation’s largest. elections in 2008 and 2012 — that they can mobilize behind a politician who connects with them. Democrats and Republicans are embracing many of the causes that young voters consider important, such as education, student debt and entrepreneurship. I The campaigns and political parties also are devoting considerable THIS REPORT N THE ISSUES ....................819 attention to getting out their messages on popular social-media S BACKGROUND ................825 sites such as Snapchat and facebook. I CHRONOLOGY ................827 D CURRENT SITUATION ........831 E CQ Researcher • Oct. 2, 2015 • www.cqresearcher.com AT ISSUE ........................833 Volume 25, Number 35 • Pages 817-840 OUTLOOK ......................834 RECIPIENT Of SOCIETY Of PROfESSIONAL JOURNALISTS AwARD fOR BIBLIOGRAPHY ................838 EXCELLENCE N AmERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION SILvER GAvEL AwARD THE NEXT STEP ..............839 YOUNG vOTERS Oct. 2, 2015 THE ISSUES SIDEBARS AND GRAPHICS Volume 25, Number 35 EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Thomas J. Billitteri • Are young voters disen - 820 Millennials and Politics [email protected] 819 gaged from politics? Don’t Always Mix ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITORS: maryann • Do Democrats have an Only about one-fourth of Haggerty, [email protected], edge among young voters? millennials are strongly inter - Kathy Koch , [email protected], ested in government affairs. Chuck mcCutcheon , • Should 16- and 17-year- [email protected], olds vote in local elections? Voting by Young Adults Scott Rohrer, [email protected] 821 Declines SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Young-voter participation has Thomas J. Colin BACKGROUND fallen since 1964. [email protected] Mobilizing the Young CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Brian Beary, 825 Political parties have tried for 824 Young Minority Voters marcia Clemmitt, Sarah Glazer, Kenneth Jost, decades to attract young Prefer a Democrat Reed Karaim, Peter Katel , Barbara mantel, Strong majorities of under-30 Tom Price, Jennifer weeks people. African-Americans and His - panics prefer a Democrat as SENIOR PROJECT EDITOR: Olu B. Davis Anti-Reagan Sentiment 826 many young Democrats who president in 2016. ASSISTANT EDITOR: Ethan mcLeod disliked President Ronald INTERN: molly mcGinnis Reagan for his conservatism Chronology 827 Key events since 1892. FACT CHECKERS: Eva P. Dasher, did not vote in 1980 and ’84. michelle Harris, Nancie majkowski, Republicans Tout ‘Sharing Robin Palmer 828 War on Terrorism 828 Economy’ to Attract Young Young-voter turnout grew as Innovative businesses are antiwar sentiment increased. being constrained by outdated laws, the GOP says. CURRENT SITUATION Congressional Millennials An Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc. 830 Try to Shake Things Up 831 Courting the Young “from a generational per - VICE PRESIDENT AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, Candidates are proposing spective, there’s a sense of HIGHER EDUCATION GROUP: ways to make college more urgency and impatience.” michele Sordi affordable. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ONLINE LIBRARY AND At Issue: REFERENCE PUBLISHING: 834 State and Other Efforts 833 Should the voting age be Todd Baldwin Some states want to ease the lowered to 16? voting process to bolster Copyright © 2015 CQ Press, an Imprint of SAGE Pub - under-30 participation. lications, Inc. SAGE reserves all copyright and other FOR FURTHER RESEARCH rights herein, unless pre vi ous ly spec i fied in writing. No part of this publication may be reproduced OUTLOOK For More Information electronically or otherwise, without prior written 837 Organizations to contact. permission. Un au tho rized re pro duc tion or trans mis - 834 The Long Haul sion of SAGE copy right ed material is a violation of Experts say politicians cannot Bibliography federal law car ry ing civil fines of up to $100,000. rely on political rhetoric to 838 Selected sources used. attract young voters. CQ Press is a registered trademark of Congressional Quarterly Inc. The Next Step 839 Additional articles . CQ Researcher (ISSN 1056-2036) is printed on acid-free paper. Pub lished weekly, except: (march wk. 4) (may Citing CQ Researcher wk. 4) (July wk. 1) (Aug. wks. 3, 4) (Nov. wk. 4) and 839 Sample bibliography formats. (Dec. wks. 3, 4). Published by SAGE Publications, Inc., 2455 Teller Rd., Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Annual full - service subscriptions start at $1,131. for pricing, call 1-800-818-7243. To purchase a CQ Researcher report in print or electronic format (PDf), visit www.cqpress. com or call 866-427-7737. Single reports start at $15. Bulk purchase discounts and electronic-rights licensing are also available. Periodicals postage paid at Thousand Cover: Getty Images/Bloomberg/Patrick T. Fallon Oaks, California, and at additional mailing offices . POST - mAST ER: Send ad dress chang es to CQ Re search er , 2600 virginia Ave., N.w., Suite 600, wash ing ton, DC 20037. 818 CQ Researcher Young voters BY CHUCK MCCUTCHEON A Harvard Institute of Pol - THE ISSUES it ics survey issued in April of more than 3,000 people ages assidy Cloer, a 19-year- 18 to 29 found t hat 40 pe rcent old sophomore at described themselves as polit - C meredith College in ically independent, compared Raleigh, N.C., describes herself to 37 per cent who identified as a “business conservative.” as Democrats and 22 percent She’d like politicians to focus as Republicans. 3 on reducing the national debt Young voters care most and taking better care of mil - about issues that directly affect itary veterans. But far more their lives, such as the cost than that, she wants them to of college. “Issues that will not shun the “round and round affect young people for years of politics” and start listening to come, such as Social Se - to her generation. curity, pension plans and “If you’re going to represent prescription drug benefits, me,” Cloer says, “you have to are too distant and removed e n i know what is important to me.” v to attract serious attention r I As the 2016 presidential a from young people,” said J. h t r election approaches, candi - a Cherie Strachan, a professor M dates are trying to show / of political science and pub - o t they’re heeding the concerns o lic administration at Central h P 4 of Cloer and other voters in michigan University.” P their teens, 20s and mid-30s. A for political news, face - That’s because the 75 million DePaul University senior Caroline Winsett, president of book is far and away the pre - the Student Government Association, is a Republican Americans in that age group, who considers herself fiscally conservative and socially ferred source for millennials. known as millennials, now are more liberal. In seeking the support of young voters in Sixty-one percent of the group the country’s single-biggest the 2016 presidential race, Republicans and Democrats relies on social media for such generation, comprising a are championing many of the causes that young voters news, about the same per - group of voters that many po - consider important, such as the cost of higher centage of the Baby Boomers education, student debt and entrepreneurship. litical experts say is up for who rely on local Tv (60 per - grabs. * 1 cent), according to the Pew well-educated and more technolog - The presidential campaigns and political Research Center. 5 ically savvy than older voters, they parties also are devoting considerable millennials often are stereotyped as share a deep distaste for traditional effort to getting their messages out to not caring about current events, but political posturing. And they proved millennials via popular social-media a new study commissioned by the they can mobilize behind a politician technologies, such as facebook and American Press Institute found that who connects with them when they the photo-sharing site Snapchat. four of every 10 young adults is active supported Barack Obama’s elections “Often the trends that shape our in seeking out news. “my takeaway is in 2008 and 2012. society start out among young adults,” that while these folks live a lot of their mindful of Obama’s successes, De - Kristen Soltis Anderson, a Republican life connected on digital devices, they mocrats and Republicans alike are em - pollster and political consultant in are interested in the world probably bracing many of the causes important Alexandria, va., wrote in her new in pretty similar ways to previous gen - to young voters, such as the cost of book, The Selfie Vote , which examines erations, and maybe even more so,” higher education and entrepreneurship. how the GOP can make gains among said Tom Rosenstiel, the institute’s ex - millennial voters. “And better under - ecutive director. 6 * Experts differ on the definition of the Millennial standing the lives and choices of young many young voters consider them - generation. Various researchers say the oldest Americans is absolutely essential to any selves more pragmatic than ideological, Millennials were born between 1980 and 1982, political party that wants to thrive in saying they are interested in accepting and the youngest between 1995 and 2005.