In light of the recent election, the attention on millennial (ages 18-35) voters is more palpable than ever. Millennials make up 31% of the voter population, about 69.2 million people and outweigh the Silent Generation (ages 71 and up) and Gen X (ages 36-51) by about 30 and 10% respectively. This means they hold an immense amount of power in their hands. Last year’s election saw an influx of young voter turnout, with nearly half of those 69.2 million millennials making it to the polling stations
But, those numbers have not always been so high. Since 1964, the data for young voter turnout was at a steady decline. They have consistently voted at incredibly lower rates than all other age groups. There have been spikes in the participation of young adults in certain presidential elections, such as those in 1992 and 2004, but they were short lived and never surpassed those of other age groups. So, the question is why?
According to The Economist, it isn’t the often heard rhetoric of “young people are lazy”. In fact, they explain it may have nothing to do with laziness at all. Instead, they provide the claim that young people feel as though they don’t provide enough of an impact to make their vote worthwhile, also known as efficacy, or that there is not a candidate worth voting for. With more and more people searching for futures in their career rather than in their relationships, the interest in having children and owning a home has decreased. As a result, interest in places in their communities where they would see an immediate impact such as schools and hospitals has, too, decreased. Thus, young people see no reason to vote, so, they don’t.
However, in the 2016 election, there was an important difference- for the first time, essentially all millennials were eligible to vote. This prompted the presidential candidates to promote their campaigns on social media. But, despite Bernie Sanders having a clear lead against his rivals, he ultimately dropped out of the running. So, how are you supposed to win?
Dan Schawbel of Quartz lays out the guidelines to winning the millennial vote in BLANK simple steps. One, focus on issues millennials relate to, and provide real solutions to them. Two, be completely transparent and as factual as possible (who likes being lied to…). Three, engage with their hometowns and their communities. The president is many things, but to most people, the way to relate to him is viewing him as Chief Citizen. The best way to accomplish that is to come to them and reach out to their homes. Four, and maybe most importantly, get the parents on board. Millennials are mostly, although, being a millennial, I hate to admit, children still. Children will look up to their parents’ experience with voting and political engagement and take after them.
As a millennial myself, I don’t know what the real solution to depressingly low young voter turnout is. Social media, all of Schawbel’s solutions, and general education about the voting system are all viable ways to reach us, but they’re not working. The only way young voters like myself will be motivated enough to put our vote into a candidate is if we are sure the affects will be swift and palpable. A candidate who makes promises that they know are realistic and do-able will win the hearts of millennials and other age groups alike. Until then, we will just have to, as Hilary Clinton so eloquently put it, “chill”.
Image source: http://www.freedomworks.org/
21st Century Citizenship 