Classroom Publication

Media Credit: Bridget Streeter First time voter Rebecca Demmons votes Obama '08.

Throughout this election people have been asking, will this be the race where young people start voting? 

With an estimated one out of seven people under the age of the 30 whom casted their vote last Tuesday, according to MSNBC, it is safe to say that the youth played a big role in this historic election.

What is even more compelling than the fact that roughly 23 million youth voted, is the fact that one in ten were first time voters as CIRCLE, a non-partisan organization that promotes research on the political engagement of Americans between ages 15 and 25, points out on their website. 

This 52 percent increase in youth vote since the 2004 election, exemplified the call for change in this country.

“I was excited to vote in such an important election,” Rochelle Rafferty, a 21-year-old junior from the University at Albany, said.  Although Rafferty, a registered Democrat from up-state New York, voted for McCain, she is not disappointed with the results of the election. 

When asked why she voted for McCain she replied, “I don’t know I kind of froze up when I got in there, I almost wrote in Oprah Winfrey.”  Rafferty felt both candidates had things she did not agree with, which made her decision much harder when it came down to the wire.

Rafferty like many of her fellow first time voters has been bombarded by loads of information about both candidates that at many times does not match up, making the process of choosing a candidate much more difficult.  She also commented on outside influences other than the media that she feels have a profound affect on the youth vote.

“I strongly believe that the youth is more influenced from their parents and peers than any other group of voters.”

These outside influences not only have an affect on who America’s youth are voting for but also the number of youth getting out to vote.

The intensely competitive and long-winded primaries seemed to boost anticipation of the general election, with people paying more and more attention to the coverage of the election and what the candidates stand for.

Although Rafferty voted for McCain, there seemed to be an overall push for Obama across U-Albany’s campus.  Especially when it came to first time voters; a trend that reflected the national trend, with Obama raking in 68 percent of the youth vote.

By noon on Tuesday almost 1000 of U-Albany students had already voted at their designated Quad poll.  Rock the Vote also points out that this trend was seen in precincts around universities in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Florida where more youth votes had been cast by 5 p.m. than in the 2004 election.

"Young voters have dispelled the notion of an apathetic generation and proved the pundits, reporters and political parties wrong by voting in record numbers Tuesday," said Heather Smith, the executive director of Rock the Vote,as quoted by the Associated Press. "The Millennial generation is making their mark on politics and shaping our future."
 

Both Rebecca Demmons, an 18-year-old freshman psychology major, and friend Orenda Benson, an 18-year-old freshman Japanese studies major, voted for their first time on Indian Quad for Obama.  

“I’m voting for change because I feel Obama will make more of a difference than McCain is going to make,” Benson said.  Demmons agreed saying “overall I think we need the change in a different direction.” 

Like many people in America the girls believe the election of Obama has marked a turning point in our country.

The girls also feel that their vote counts, unlike some first time voters such as 19-year-old sophomore, Arkadiy Ekshtat, who feel other wise.

“I was kind of looking forward to vote, but it’s like my vote won’t count,” Ekshtat says, “because Obama’s going to win New York no matter what.”  This kind of mentality reflects upon the idea of the influence of polls on voters.

Roland Cayrol, director of the CSA polling institute, has spent years studying the idea that polls have a small but direct influence on the way in which we vote.  He explains this in his article: Do polls influence voters?

Polling can create apathy in the sense that certain people don’t find is necessary to vote because the polls show their candidate is winning.

However, with the highest overall turnout this country has seen in decades it does not seem that polls influence deterred many voters from hitting the polls.  Over 200 million people casted their vote last Tuesday, according to the data table by Dr. Michael McDonald and the Department of Public and International Affairs at the George Mason University, we have seen the highest voter turnout in decades.

“People feel like they are part of history, I feel like I am part of history as a participant in this election,” Rafferty said, “I guess it is time for things to change.”

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