THE
M O N TA G E The disconnect between election and education
Brittney Farrow Opinions Editor
I
t is statistically proven that young voters make up around 21 percent of the voting population. With one-fifth of all voters belonging to the 18-29 age group, they are a dominant force in numbers that have the potential to be not only influential, but to make or break a politician’s chances at entering the White House. According to Rock the Vote, a political, non-profit campaign that aims to use pop culture to bring young voters to the polls – there will be 86 million millennials voting in the 2016 presidential elections;
Illustration by Jason Waters
however, in a survey conducted by the Institute of Politics that was released to the public in April 2014, only 23 percent of them had committed to placing a vote in November’s midterm elections. In contrast, at the 2004 elections 70 percent of those between 45 and 59 voted, while 73 percent of those aged between 60 and 74 did. Additionally, 69 percent of those 75 and older also showed up at the polls to place their ballots – making the young vote the leastrepresented group in politics. During the 2012 presidential elections, Barack
Obama depended on his advantage with young voters to make up for the lead Mitt Romney had with the 45 and older age group. Young voters are the most diverse, and the representation of minorities within that group has expanded dramatically in the last 20 years. Amongst voters 30 and under, 18 percent identify as Hispanic, 17 percent identify as African American, and 7 fall into the mixed-race or other category. While the percentage of white voters dropped 16 points amongst those 18-29, the majority of older voters – at 76 percent – are
still white, and that number has dropped only 6 points in recent years. Research done by the Pew Research Center also supports the claim that younger voters are less likely to be religious, which impacts the chances of politicians who take a stand against abortion and gay marriage -- especially since, according to “The Huffington Post”, 65 percent of Americans say religion plays a role in their daily lives. When compared to their older counterparts, young voters are much more focused on social issues, and the majority of them vote in favor of early-term
VOLUME 51, ISSUE 1 | WEDNESDAY SEPT. 3, 2015 | www.meramecmontage.com
abortion as well as equal marriage. In the upcoming primaries, several topics of debate will include proposed plans for the adjustments to college tuition, the possibility of student debt forgiveness and the impact the declining job market has hand on young people – issues that could be affected by the young voter, should they chose not to participate. The election primaries are coming up in the next few months, and will occur for the state of Missouri in March of 2016. The question remains: will young American vote?