2008: Young Voters Turning Out in Big Numbers
Something big is happening in our democracy – young people are voting. Already, young people turned out in record numbers at the nation’s first caucus and primary contests of 2008. And young voters in Missouri are no exception!
In fact, youth turnout tripled over 2004 levels in Missouri this primary season (source: Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement).
Even more exciting, the big youth vote numbers this year are part of a surge we’ve seen over the past several election cycles. In 2004, for example, the youth vote across the country increased by more than 11 percent – a rate nearly triple that of the general population. In 2006, youth turnout increased by two million votes, while the number of voters in the general population increased only slightly.
Click here for more research on young voter increases over the past several election cycles.
MOPIRG’s New Voters Project has been a big part of these increases. In 2006 alone, MOPIRG and the Student PIRGs registered 75,000 students to vote, and leading up to Election Day we made 94,000 personalized Get Out the Vote reminders either over the phone or face-to-face.
This primary season, in addition to invading classrooms and organizing get out the vote events on campus, we also launched the What’s Your Plan? Campaign. Rather than wait for the presidential candidates to come to us, hundreds of student campaign volunteers hit the campaign trail to ask the presidential candidates What’s Your Plan? To stop global warming. To make a college education affordable. To ensure financial security for all Americans. To provide affordable, effective healthcare.
The campaign was a huge success. Over the course of the primary season, more than 500 volunteers with the campaign asked all the major presidential candidates their plans on these crucial issues more than 100 times. This effort helped demonstrate the energy and enthusiasm of young people this election cycle and encouraged the candidates to directly engage young people in the issues we care about.
Click here to learn more about MOPIRG’s What’s Your Plan? campaign
What’s Next
In the months leading up to the November elections, student leaders with MOPIRG will once again hit campus to make sure that the voice of young people continues to be heard this election cycle.
We’ll pair old-fashioned pavement-pounding with technology that reaches the increasingly wired world of the young voter – organizing registration ‘dorm storms, ‘ ‘text out the vote’ class announcements and get out the vote carnivals.
