Enthusiasm Increasing Among Young Voters

The Center for Information on Civic Learning and Engagement says young people are showing more interest in the presidential election as it gets closer. In Wisconsin, both candidates and their surrogates have come to universities in the battleground state.

Young people might not flock to the voting booth the way they did in 2-thousand eight but a poll of of 18-to-29 year olds shows 55-percent are “extremely likely” to vote. That poll was done by the Center for Information on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University. It shows higher interest in the presidential race compared to this summer. Both campaigns have had to address economic issues, like the high unemployment rate among young people.Keith Knutson is an assistant professor at Viterbo University in La Crosse.

“The Millennials are not necessarily blaming Obama for the downturn, but I think like many Americans they’re somewhat discouraged by the slow revival [of the economy],” he says.

Another pressing issue for this demographic is student loan debt. Knutson says the candidates differ greatly in how they’d help students afford college.

“The president’s policy andcapacity to sell his policy of basically taking federal money away from private banks and moving it into the hands of college-age students has been a very important campaign issue in helping to rejuvenate millennial support, ” he says.

Romney, on the other hand,takes a more market driven approach. He says information about school quality should be more available to students so parents and their children can choose an affordable college. Romney also supports redistributing Pell Grants to only the neediest students.