Reply #33: Fanning the Flames of Youth Civic Engagement

[tbyg52]

Progressives need to make sure that young people's excitement over the primaries turns into long-term civic engagement.

"I am so, so, so excited," my wildly effective 18-year-old intern Krystie Yandoli told me, sitting on my couch and leafing through a new anthology in between bites of chocolate croissant. "At first I didn't know -- should I wait until I get to Syracuse and do it there or should I do it in Connecticut where I'm from? I seriously can't wait." Krystie, headed to the Syracuse University in the fall to study politics and journalism, is not talking about getting a tattoo or buying an iPhone. She's feverishly anticipating her first chance to vote in a presidential election.

As we finish the final contests of the primaries, young people are excited about politics. According to PBS News Hour, 5.7 million people under the age of 30 voted in the primaries, a 109 percent increase from last presidential election. And before you write this enthusiasm off as merely a passing fad of Obama mania (he got 57 percent of the youth vote in Iowa, for example), look at recent history: In 2004, youth turnout in the general election rose by 4.3 million votes over the 2000 level, and hit the highest level in over a decade.

More:
http://www.alternet.org/story/87026/