'Getting out the voice' may win it
HOWARD DEAN'S surprising success has been attributed to many things -- the Internet, antiwar activists, campaign manager Joe Trippi, and thousands of small donors. But one important factor has been overlooked: Dean is the only Democratic candidate who has energized young adults, and they in turn have spearheaded a grassroots campaign that has taken the political world by storm.
Visit any college campus and you'll notice it is festooned with Dean stickers, T-shirts, and posters. Whenever Dean makes a public appearance, he's surrounded by an entourage of college kids that dwarfs anything J. Lo could muster. It's no coincidence that Dean is the Democratic front-runner.
Young Americans have the potential to effect dramatic political change. There are 70 million people in the United States between the ages of 18 and 35. Yet their participation in the political process has steadily waned over the past three decades. Perhaps because of this, lawmakers have largely ignored them and many young people feel alienated from the political process. But politicians do so at their peril. While many 18-to-35-year-olds have steered clear of traditional political involvement, they are by no means politically apathetic.
Young adults volunteer at record rates, dishing out food in soup kitchens, building houses for Habitat for Humanity, mentoring at-risk kids, and contributing in myriad other ways. Surveys show they volunteer at an equal or greater rate than their elders -- and that rate is rising. In other words, young Americans are a dormant political force waiting to be awakened by a candidate shrewd enough to speak to their interests.
In the past, political parties have frequently tried to capture the youth vote, often through registration drives and get-out-the-vote efforts. More often than not, they've failed. But there is evidence that should encourage candidates to try anew. Exit polls show that Arnold Schwarzenegger attracted thousands of new young voters to the California polls in higher numbers than other groups. Jesse Ventura's maverick campaign won young Minnesotans' hearts enroute to winning the governorship. John McCain's straight-talking express struck a chord with young voters energized by his message of reform and national service. On the other hand, Al Gore failed to capture this constituency and saw many erstwhile young Democrats defect to the Green Party.
Dean is perceived by his youthful constituents as sincere in addressing their concerns. Not only is he focusing on issues like higher education finance and tuition costs, restoring AmeriCorps, and providing universal health care to Americans up to age 25, but he is enlisting young adults in substantive components of his campaign. These campaigners aren't just licking stamps. Generation Dean, the flourishing youth arm of his campaign, is the brainchild of enterprising college and high school students, and underemployed college grads. Instead of just getting out the young vote, Dean is utilizing young adults' talents and speaking about the issues they care about -- call it "getting out the voice."
Young Americans represent a crucial -- and available -- swing vote. In our 50-50 nation, with the parties roughly at parity, whichever captures these voters will gain a potentially decisive advantage. In 2000, neither party did so; young adults split almost evenly between Bush and Gore. Today, Bush commands more young support than Democrats. According to Harvard University's Institute of Politics, 39 percent say they'll vote for Bush, while 34 percent say they'll support the Democratic nominee. That leaves 27 percent open to persuasion. Whichever candidate can attract this group may win the presidency. On Tuesday the Democratic candidates will meet in Boston for a young voter presidential forum hosted by CNN and Rock the Vote.
Each candidate would be wise to begin courting young voters. Fortunately, many of the issues the candidates are already discussing could be modified to apply directly to young Americans: jobs, health care, and debt.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that they are twice as likely as older adults to be unemployed and more likely to have low-paying jobs that don't provide benefits. Government studies also show that young adults have the highest uninsurance rate in the country (over 30 percent) and receive fewer benefits from employers while accumulating more education and credit card debt than any generation before them.
This group could easily sway an election. But only for the candidate who can recognize and address their needs. It's time to Get Out the Voice of young adults.
Jonathan Zaff is co-founder and president of 18to35, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to engaging young adults in policymaking.
