The Youth Vote: 10 Reasons It Matters Even More Than You Think
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10. 21 percent (46 million) of all eligible voters in 2012 were 18-29 years old. By 2020, young voters will boast about 90 million eligible voters.
9. Young adults (18-35) outnumber senior citizens 46 million to 39 million, but only 45 percent of them vote, while 72 percent of seniors participate in our democracy. 10 percent of young voters consider themselves "political bystanders" and stay uninvolved.
8. A recent poll found that 59 percent of people under the age of 30 agree that elected officials are motivated by selfish reasons. Only 35 percent believe that running for office is an "honorable" thing to do.
7. Young voters can change the entire outcome of an election. If you exclude young voters from the 2012 election, the outcome in Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Virginia would have been switched and thus we would have a different President today.
6. 62 percent of young voters say that giving back to their communities is near the top of their priority list. Only 17 percent are interested in writing a letter or email on a political issue.
5. The generation of youth voters is the most racially diverse in American history.
4. Only 23 percent of youth voter respondents to a recent survey said they will "definitely" vote in 2014, even after 50 percent of eligible young voters cast a ballot, 23 million in fact, in 2012.
3. Youth voters are more open than their predecessors to supporting many social issues, such as same-sex marriage and marijuana legalization.
2. 64% of the youth vote believes that income inequality is greater today than when they were born. A majority (52%) consider this gap to be a major problem.
1. Youth voters are optimistic, with 49% of voters saying that America's best years are ahead, higher than any other generation in the same study.