(no title)

National Young Voter Turnout Increases by More than Two Million

[Washington, DC] Young voter turnout surged by at least 2.2 million votes over 2004 levels this election, according to new data released by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.

“Across the country, the excitement on college campuses this election cycle was palpable,” said Ellie Corso, OSPIRG Media Coordinator. “That enthusiasm spilled into the ballot box this year.”

For the first time, young voter share of the electorate also surpassed that of voters over 65, with young people making up 18 percent of the electorate and those over 65 making up 16 percent.

Several factors – from increased attention paid to young voters by candidates to the proliferation of technology in the lives of young voters to a rise in civic engagement among young people – contributed to this surge.

This year’s youth turnout marks the third significant increase in turnout in as many election cycles. In 2004, turnout rates increased among young voters by 11 percent, nearly three times the rate of the general population. In 2006, youth turnout increased by two million votes, while general turnout increased only slightly.

Young voter outreach efforts employed an array of tactics to mobilize young voters to the polls. On 100 campuses in 17 states, the Student PIRGs New Voters Project combined old-fashioned pavement pounding with technology to reach the wired world of the young voter. In Oregon, OSPIRG, the Oregon Student Vote Coalition and the Building Votes Project teamed up to register tens of thousands of voters and make additional tens of thousands of contacts.

Students on campuses across the country stormed dorms, invaded classrooms and even staged guerilla theatre performances to urge young voters to the polls. They also employed a cadre of tech tools – from Facebook to ‘text out the vote’ tables to urge their friends to the polls.

“One of the major lessons of this election is that when you pay attention to young people, they will turn out on Election Day,” concluded Philip Shilts, Director of Governmental Affairs for ASSOU.

Whew! What a night

With more than 800 hits throughout the evening and some 42 unique posts, it looks like our experiment in blogging the elections was a positive experience for many. Clearly, there were a few frustrations as well, but over all, the more than 40 students participating in the project excelled beyond all expectations. It was wonderful to see the excitement on the faces of students returning after attending some of the events on election night. We learned that patience and persistence are two of the most important qualities in journalism. So much of what we do is about hurry up and wait, and more hurry up and wait. Hours of boredom, though, can lead to some great excitement.