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Under 30 Vote Bigger Than Over 65s'

Some good news in the debate over youth voting came out of the primaries yesterday. This from The Fix at the WaPo:

Young Voters: No age group has been more ridiculed for their lack of participation than those under 30. But in Indiana that age group comprised 16 percent of the overall vote while those 65 or older comprised 15 percent. Under 30s went for Obama 61 percent to 39 percent, a margin that all but neutralized Clinton's 44 percent margin among older Hoosiers.

Good news for the country too. 18-29 years olds are set to vote in greater numbers than over 65 year olds, maybe even this year, which means a new generation of engaged citizens is emerging. A strong democracy needs all its citizens to engage. It would even better if more young people took their parents to vote and vice versa. The strongest indicator of a young person voting is whether a peer, friend or family member has asked them to. I'm sure it also influences other generations.

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Tags: Election, primary, youth vote (all tags)

Journalist Cheat Sheet: Eleven Tips for Reporting the Youth Vote

Mike Connery, founder of Music for America and youth engagement guru, just posted a very interesting blog entry on the mainstream media and how it deals with young people and voting.  As he asked, I enjoyed it and am now spreading it widely... so I also say, enjoy, spread widely.  And comment.  I look forward to the debate.

It's getting rather tiring, correcting one shoddy media report on the youth vote after another. This really came to a head this weekend when, less than 24 hours after forcing a young UNLV student to ask Hillary Clinton whether she preferred Diamonds or Pearls, CNN un-ironically aired a piece during The Situation Room that made a mockery of young voters and their participation in our electoral process
So I created this "cheat sheet" for journalists. Basically it's a listing of all the most common mistakes that the media makes when reporting on young voters. Enjoy. Spread widely.

Click "Read More" for the rest...
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Tags: media, youth vote, presidential, campaign (all tags)


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