Young Democrats want to prove they're still engaged

[FrenchieCat]

SACRAMENTO — Youthful Democratic activists were swept off their feet in 2008 by an African-American senator from Illinois about to make history, voting in record numbers and helping to usher in a modern technological approach to campaigning.

Now that the heady days of the presidential campaign are behind them, with President Barack Obama settling into the White House, will they stay engaged? Traditionally, voters ages 18 to 30 experience a significant drop-off in enthusiasm in midterm elections.


Ian Magruder, a UC Berkeley student and candidate
for the president of the California College Democrats,
Magruder was the past college field director
for President Barack Obama in 2008. (Ray Chavez/Staff)

In the 2006 midterm elections, voters ages 18 to 29 made up only 10 percent of the actual voting population, though they accounted for 20 percent of eligible voters. Young voters actually may be easier to persuade to vote in midterm elections than their older counterparts, said Melissa Michelson, a political science professor at Cal State East Bay.

Democrats say that they will employ the same "peer-to-peer" campaigns among young voters that worked so effectively in 2008. That is where young activists use the casual atmosphere of cafes, bars, movie theaters and concerts to make their pitch. "We saw that young people will turn out when they're reached by their peers, and we talk issues important to them," said Claire Conlon, the executive director of the California Young Democrats. "Young people don't respond to mail or TV ads. It's the personal conversations about issues that engage them."

The Obama campaign has been hailed as revolutionary in its use of the communication tools familiar to young voters, such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and YouTube. Young Democrats are promoting those tools at the convention, hosting a technology booth throughout the weekend, where people will be able to post pictures, videos, Tweets, and Facebook updates during the convention.
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"One thing Obama did was to encourage young voters to form grass-roots groups — Obama volunteer groups — which was really effective for mobilizing supporters and for allowing volunteers to feel like they had leadership roles in the campaign," said Magruder, 19, a student at UC Berkeley. "I hope all candidates will empower their young supporters in the same way."

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