First, the article seems to presuppose that the enthusiasm among millennials for Sanders' candidacy would transfer over to Clinton. Apparently, it didn't. Instead, it seems to have transitioned (among those who did vote) into protest votes for Stein (a five point swing toward third parties is nothing to sneeze at). Second, it's impossible to compare individuals who voted in the primaries with those who voted in the general; how many did one and not the other? What was the overlap? And how many millennials who may have voted for Sanders in the primaries stayed home, either as another form of protest, or simply because they were disheartened by what they perceived in the way in which the primaries were conducted (i.e., to show favortism to the "establishment candidate"--don't shoot the messenger here, this feeling/perception *was* real and *did* have an effect on my cohort).
The sad--and I know that's an understatement--truth is that the appearance of impropriety thanks to the DNC and Debbie Wasserman Schultz may have turned off a huge portion of that generation for years to come. There's also the fact that, look, we all expected Clinton to win--every single sign was there. A lot of people felt comfortable with their staying home/casting protest votes because we saw the tidings of a landslide. Unfortunately, when people make these sorts of personal decisions, they very rarely consider the hundred monkeys--that is, that if they are feeling/doing something, then there are likely hundreds if not thousands of people who are feeling/doing the same thing: enough to swing an election.
Polls bear this out: millennials are one of the most progressive cohorts around (and have a huge distaste for Republicans, their xenophobia, misogyny, racism, and austerity). At the same time as you have this low voter turnout, you're also seeing literally the largest protests in the history of the united states. And not just one, but in series and rapid succession. Do you really think you could have those kinds of numbers without millennials swelling the ranks?
I think a few lessons here, are: 1) millennials have no party loyalty; they support the candidate, not the party. 2) Millennials are vindictive, especially when it comes to perceived slights. 3) Millennials are extremely skeptical of anything they perceive to be "establishment" (conspiracy theories run like wildfire through my cohort; they don't "trust The Man." 4) Millennials are more likely to take their activism to the streets than to the ballot boxes. Take it or leave it, but I think these things need to be at least acknowledged. I think reaching out to millennials should be much easier than, say, reaching out to the blue-collar rustbelt worker who has let their animosity toward minorities fester and swell as their jobs get cut and their paycheck gets slashed (i.e., the people who apparently were instrumental in actively swinging this election toward 45*).
Then, there's the structural clusterf*ck that is our "representative" democracy at this moment in history. We've had a ticking timebomb sitting enshrined in law for 87 years: the Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929. Millennials are right, the fix is in. This one ruling destroyed any semblance of representation and skewed the electoral college in a radical way. This Act explains why Clinton could get such a commanding popular vote victory, and still lose the EC. Millennials are right, even if they might not know exactly why: the fix *is* in. They feel like they're not represented in popular elections--and they're right. And this feeling of disenfranchisement translates into a high likelihood of throwing in either a protest vote, or not voting at all. Getting this Act repealed should be a #1 priority for every progressive, and I think it's a movement with the potential to really capture, harness, and use the unique political tendencies of millennials. The fact is: gerrymandering is the reason the House is so far out of the reach of progressives, and the EC is responsible for giving us two of the least-qualified presidents in the history of this nation. These two facts play a huge role in why millennials are so turned-off to politics, but are so very willing to take to the streets. Don't blame us (nothing will get us to turn on you faster). Use us.
Please note: I voted for Sanders in the primaries, and Clinton in the general. Most of my interactions are with people from my cohort, and I have never seen so many of them paying attention to politics as in recent months, nor so active. There's a sleeping giant here, folks. Again, this sleeping giant *can* be reached with the right strategy, and playing the blame game ain't it.
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