The Kids are alright

[EnfantTerrible]

The numbers I saw after the (so-called) election about youth voter turnout being the same as 2000 had me a little confused to say the least. This piece was run in Salon today. Thought I'd share.
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By Lisa Chamberlain
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Conventional wisdom has it that GOTV efforts by groups like Downtown for Democracy were for naught. An Associated Press story using exit poll data circulated shortly after the election reported that as a share of the electorate, the youth vote stayed at about 18 percent, the same as in 2000. Despite the predictions of record turnout among voters ages 18 through 29, observers said, they did not go to the polls in the expected numbers. Some bloggers even blamed them for John Kerry's loss. As was the case throughout this long, excruciating election, the conventional wisdom turns out to be wrong.


According to a report by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), almost 5 million more young people voted in 2004 than in 2000, an increase of 9.3 percent. The reason the youth vote as a percentage of the electorate stayed the same is simple: More people in every demographic group voted in 2004. Looking at the youth vote merely as a percentage of the overall vote to gauge their effect on the election is misleading.
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link to the whole story
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/11/09/youth_vote/