Midterm elections see low youth voter turnout

UNC junior Maggie Lee says there will never be an election cycle where she won’t vote.

But her interests in the political process have never lay with the local politics that are often the focus of midterm elections.

“I’ve never found myself invested in them, and I’m not sure what would make me more involved,” Lee said.

According to an August study from the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, 23.5 percent of voters aged 18 to 29 in North Carolina voted in the 2010 midterm election — less than half of the 56.5 percent who voted in the 2012 presidential election.

With young voters representing about 20 percent of the vote on average in each North Carolina election cycle, November’s elections could be decided by that demographic.

“The young vote is a huge vote,” said Susan MacManus, a government and international affairs professor at the University of South Florida and an expert in the youth vote. “It is as large, if not larger, than the baby boomer population, which, as a voting block, has determined elections for decades.”

But MacManus said she is not surprised by the report’s findings on youth voter turnout in midterms.

Unlocking the power in this voting block is accomplished through targeted outreach from political campaigns, said Abby Kiesa, youth coordinator and researcher at CIRCLE.

“Competitive elections can persuade or dissuade younger voters from voting, in regards to how negative the back and forth political ads become,” Kiesa said, “Depending on the type of outreach to young people in the next couple of months (in North Carolina), we could see younger voters really control who gets elected.”

MacManus said young voters’ lack of knowledge in state and local politics often reduces their interest in midterms.

“There is no question that younger voters are registered, but we must look at turnout rates,” MacManus said.

UNC junior Caroline Moretz said her interest in politics centers primarily on health-care access, but when it comes to the midterm election, she wants more information before casting her vote.

“I like to be informed, but I don’t really ever engage in local politics,” Moretz said. “Now that I see people in the Pit asking me if I’m registered to vote, I’ll think about voting (in November).”

MacManus said campaigns should continue to use social media and online video platforms, where they will be most visible for young voters.

“If I saw more articles about midterm elections, saw it on Facebook more or heard about local political races from my friends and peers more often, I would probably be more politically involved,” Moretz said.

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