1. Luring the Youth Vote
Packaging Politics to The Youth
Terrica Mitchell
Supervising Professor: Laura Van Assendelft

2. 1
Chapter 1: Introduction
The Problem
The youth vote accounts for at least 80 electoral votes.1 The implications are that the
youth vote can be a determining factor within elections. This phenomenon can be seen in the
1992 and 2008 presidential elections. There is a significant leap in the youth vote during these
elections that helped propel the winning candidate to the presidency. Although the youth vote
has the ability to affect elections there has been a significant decline in voter turnout for this age
group. “Overall, America’s youngest voters have moved towards less engagement over time, as
18- through 24-year-olds’ voting rates dropped from 50.9 percent in 1964 to 38.0 percent in
2012.”2 This is trend can be seen throughout many other developed democracies, and the U.S.
is no exception this.
Moreover, youth voter turnout is inconsistent and hard to predict. “One election cycle
it’s up, and then the next it’s down. Meanwhile other age groups are pretty consistent in their
voting turnout."3 In order to find explanations for the inconsistent nature, there are various
forces acting in each election that must be taken into account. “Many factors likely contribute to
this difference in youth turnout rate: a relative lack of media attention, a scarcity of competitive
1
"CIRCLE » At Least 80 Electoral Votes Depended on Youth." CIRCLE RSS. November 7, 2012|.Accessed September
15, 2014.http://www.civicyouth.org/at-least-80-electoral-votes-depended-on-youth/.
2
File,Tom. "Young-Adult Voting: An Analysis of Presidential Elections, 1964–2012."www.census.gov. U.S. Census
Bureau, Apr. 2014.Web. 21 Oct. 2014.
3
Mcdaniel,Richard."YouthVote.org."YouthVoteorg. August 17, 2014.Accessed September 21, 2014.
http://youthvote.org/2014/08/why-the-youth-vote-is-inconsistent/.

3. 2
races, and less voter outreach."4
The lack of efforts to mobilize youth voters is most likely
specific to the youth vote and its trend low turnout and inconsistency.
Literature Review
A Relationship of Mutual Neglect
The implications of the decline in the youth vote are not only a lack of political
engagement by the youth but also a lack of concern from politicians and political parties.
In other words, the youth are not being asked to vote. As conceptualized by Martin Wattenberg,
the relationship between politicians and young adults is one of “mutual neglect”.5 Thus,
mobilization is a significant piece to the puzzle. Mobilization is broadly defined as the processes
in which actors (political parties, politicians, and organizations) focus on galvanizing groups of
people to politically participate.6 Mobilization has been viewed as a strong indicator of political
participation. Research suggests that low voter turnout is due to changes in mobilization efforts
by agencies and the strategic plans of political parties that do not take into account various
groups of people.7 The role of political actors in this relationship of neglect is critical to
understanding solutions to the problem and should be examined.
Theories of Voter Participation
There are various outlets for citizens to politically participate in established democracies.
For instance citizens can express their views by means of social media, participating in
4
Kawashima-Ginsberg, Kei. "CIRCLE » 2014 Midterms: “Why (Some) Registered Youth Don't Vote." CIRCLE
RSS. June 25, 2014. Accessed November 4, 2014. http://www.civicyouth.org/2014-midterms-why-some-
registered-youth-dont-vote/.
5
Wattenberg, Martin P. Introduction. Is Voting for Young People?, 1-2|. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2007.
6
Rosenstone, Steven J., and John Mark. Hansen. Mobilization,Participation,and Democracy in America. New York:
Macmillan Pub.Co,1993.211-212|.Print.
7
Rosenstone, Steven J., and John Mark. Hansen. Mobilization,Participation,and Democracy in America.

4. 3
demonstrations, protests, boycotts, signing petitions, writing letters to political leaders and so
forth. All political participation has a significant function in the political process however, the
simplest form of participation is voting. Why people vote is just as significant as the act of
voting, and is a central question many theorists consider. Three theories encompass the dominant
explanations in this category of thought: rational choice, socialization, psychological and
mobilization.
Rational Choice Theories
“Casting a vote… may be primarily expressive in once situation for one person but primarily
instrumental for anothersituation or person”8
As conceptualized by Heywood, “rational choice theory is an approach to voter
participation based on the assumption that individuals are rationally self-interested actors”9 The
idea is that there is a motivation behind an individual voting , for some the gain is materially and
for others it is fulfilling a civic duty. “The distinction between engagement driven by interests
versus duty is need to be seen as either/or.”10 This approach implies that at the basic level there
is a reason why people vote and that there are private and social gain in the act of voting itself
that provides people the incentive to vote. Throughout rational choice theories there are
consistent factors of competitiveness, how many parties are emerging, and electoral
proportionality used to explain voter turnout.
According to rational choice theories if voters think their vote will make a difference then
the voter turnout will be high and vice versa. However, this theory leaves out the larger picture
8
Campbell,David E. Why We Vote: How Schools and Communities Shape Our Civic Life. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP,
2006.14. Print.
9
Heywood, Andrew, Politics. Houndmills,Basingstoke,England:Macmillan,2002. 430.Print.
10
Campbell,Ibid.3

5. 4
of how the community in which one is socialized explains motivations and reasons why people
vote. 11 Moreover, these theories cannot seem to account for the lack of youth voting in America.
It has been argued that competition has affected youth voters, however, recent research provided
by CIRCLE (the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement)
which conducts research on the civic and political engagement of young Americans found that
this not the case. There are no significant differences in youth voting in competitive mid-term
elections with hotly contested issues then in midterm elections that do not. “Young people
respond to the contact from close elections” not necessarily the competitiveness.12 The
limitations to the rational choice theory does not clearly answer why youth are voting at low
levels.
Socialization Theories
“Train up a child in the way he should go—so goes the proverb—and when he is old he will not
depart from it.”13
Socialization theories state that what is learned during childhood in regards to voting is a
significant indicator to how we vote and politically participate when we are older. “The
assumption of what we do now (as adults) depends on what we did then (as youth) guides
educators, marketers, and parents alike.”14 Socialization theorists believe that agents such as
family, school, media, and religion are agents in whom children learn behaviors and tendencies.
It should be noted that the process of socialization is complex and all of the agents come together
11
Campbell,Ibid.3
12
"CIRCLE » 2014 Midterms: “The Effects of Competitiveness and Ballot Measures on Youth Turnout." CIRCLE RSS.
THE CENTER FOR INFORMATION & RESEARCH ON CIVIC LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT, 2014|.Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.civicyouth.org/2014-midterms-the-effects-of-competitiveness-and-ballot-measures-on-youth-
turnout/>.
13
Campbell,David. Why We Vote How Schools and Communities Shape Our Civic Life.131
14
Campbell,David.Ibid.132

6. 5
in influencing a child's political behavior. Moreover, with the family being the most significant
socialization agent, political socialization is largely understood as the way children adopt the
political attitudes and behaviors of their parents.
However, it has more recently been argued that the messages of different socialization
agents can be contradictory to one another, therefore political attitudes and voting behaviors will
probably not remain consistent from one generation to the next.15 The complex relationship
between agents may account for the changes of voter turnout throughout generations but this
relationship has not yet been concretely proven. Socialization theories shed light on how children
are politically developed but cannot fully answer why they vote or the lack of voting.
Psychological Theories
"The core idea in this approach is that to understand why people vote as they do, we must
understand what goes on in their mind."16
Psychological theories state that people vote based off of individual attitudes and
perceptions. The overall position of an individual in regards to politics is significant to
understanding voter turnout. There is an implication that all people use their minds in a similar
fashion to make a decision to vote or to abstain from voting.17 These theories look at factors
such as: party identification, partisan dealignment, political interest, and alienation to explain
turnout. It should be noted there is a broad range of other factors that are considered, however,
the ones listed above are often explored within this school of thought.
15
Torney-Purta, Judith. "Comparative Perspectives On Political Socialization And Civic Education. Comparative
Education Review 44, no. 1 (2001): 88-89. Accessed November 1, 2014.
http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/1189228?uid=3739704&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=2110530626314
3.u
16
Rosema, Martin."The Sincere Vote: A Psychological Study of Voting." Academia.edu. N.p., 2004.Web. 4 Nov.
2014.<http://www.academia.edu/230492/The_Sincere_Vote_A_Psychological_Study_of_Voting>.
17
Campbell,Angus. The American Voter. New York: Wiley,1960.90. Print.

7. 6
Broadly defined, partisanship is identification with one of the major political parties of
either Democrat or Republican (in the context of America). Party identification is significant
because it was found to influence the decision to vote and who to vote for. Party loyalty -- long
term political identification with a party was thought to guide the amount of political engagement
throughout a person's adult life.18 People with a strong party identification are more likely to
vote. Although party identification is seen as a factor that is lasting and rarely changes, partisan
dealignment happens when party loyalties deteriorate. Once there is a lack of party identification
or loyalty to party voting behaviors tend to change. Some effects of partisan dealignment are
swing voting and an increase in nonvoting overall.
People who do not care about politics are less likely to vote than those who do care. A
person is more likely to vote when they are interested in politics and display this interest by
following politics through various media forms (newspapers, television, social media) and
discussing it in social circles. This concept could add insight to the trend of American youth
moving toward less political engagement because of the fact that the youth do not follow politics
at a substantial rate. “Political apathy among young adults stem from being tuned out from
political news."19 Moreover, some people have bad feelings/perceptions towards politics in
general --alienation. People who dislike or distrust politicians are less likely to vote, they are
referred to as alienated citizens.20 These theories focus on the individual voters perceptions and
18
Campbell,Angus. Ibid. 121
19
Wattenberg, Martin P. Is Voting for Young People?, 3.
20
Russell A., Fieldhouse,E., Purdham, K., and Kaira,V. (2002) Voter Engagement and Young People, UK Electoral
Commission.2002:85-86 Accessed November 1, 2014 .
<http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/electoral_commission_pdf_file/0019/16093/youngpplvot
ing_6597-6188__E__N__S__W__.pdf>

8. 7
attitudes, however they fail to explain how players outside of the individual impact voting
behavior.
Mobilization Theories
“People participate in electoral politics because someone encourages them to take part”21.
Mobilization theories look at agents such as political parties, campaigns, candidates and
social networks to explain why people vote. Instead of focusing on how we are socialized as
people or social structures, mobilization theories look at the efforts made by political actors to
get people to vote. Turnout decline can be somewhat attributed to the lack of effort made by
mobilizing agents and more specifically, political parties’ strategic decisions to not target certain
populations of people.22 When mobilization agencies do not target certain groups of people, they
are less likely to vote. This idea can be applied to the youth vote in America; campaigns are not
targeting this group therefore youth voters have a historically low voter turnout.
A major contribution to the thought of mobilization is the theory of social capital that
states being a part of social organizations such as churches, community groups, and unions can
affect whether or not a person will vote. Social organizations promote values such as trust and
reciprocity which are values that promote political action and one way to take this action is
through voting.23 In Bowling Alone it is argued that declining social capital is what has caused
voter turnout to decline in America. This argument has been criticized by other scholars for not
21
Rosenstone, Steven J., and John Mark. Hansen. Mobilization, Participation, and Democracy in America. 161
22
Rosenstone, Steven J., and John Mark.Hansen. Ibid.211-212
23
Putnam, Robert D. Bowling Alone: The Collapseand Revival of American Community. New York: Simon &
Schuster, 2000. 89-90|.Print.

9. 8
being validated. Also, this argument only focuses on traditional mobilizing agents and does not
account for changes or new ways of mobilizing that should considered as transformations of how
citizens are brought together. 24 The connection between youth voting and social capital is
somewhat groundless.
This paper will look at the youth voter from a perspective other than a disengaged citizen
but will take into account the efforts of campaigns and groups to mobilize youth voters. First, an
outline of the historical background attempts to explain the contentions of youth voter turnout.
Chapter 3 will examine the evolution of campaigning and analyze the actions of official
presidential campaigns and the campaigning of political engagement organizations through case
studies of presidential elections. The elections that will be focused on are 1992 and 2008. These
years were chosen because they had highest participation of youth voter. Due to these elections
having high youth voter turnout, it is hypothesized that a strong mobilization effort was made by
campaigns and organizations to get young people voting. In respect to the elections, written
accounts of the election and scholarly journals will be used to analyze the effectiveness of
mobilization strategies that were directly related to targeting the youth the youth.
Chapter 2: Backgroundof the Youth Vote
“Old enough to fight, old enough to vote.”
A young voter is defined as eighteen to twenty-four year olds, but this has not always
been the case. Before 1970, the minimum voting age in federal elections was 21 and the voting
age for local and state elections depended on the state in which you lived. During World War II
24
Norris,Pippa.Democratic Phoenix: Reinventing Political Activism.Cambridge,UK: Cambridge UP, 2002.187|.
Print.

10. 9
many young men who went to fight proposed that the voting age should be lowered to 18.25
Public support for lowering the voting age had already been voiced but this idea became even
more so popular in once the draft for the war in Vietnam was instituted by Nixon. The draft was
going to affect young men ages 18-21 and they felt that they should have a say in the country
that was sending them away to fight. In 1970 president Nixon signed the Voting Rights Act of
1970’s that lowered the minimum age of voting in all elections to 18. Many states were against
this, which led to a Supreme Court case to challenge the act.
In the 1970 case Oregon v. Mitchell, the Supreme Court ruled that Congress had the right
to regulate the minimum age in federal elections, but not at the state and local level.26 Although
this appeared to be a win for both sides, it actually would create more work on states to create
separate provisions for young voters. “The Supreme Court's decision on the voting age
provisions in had caused concern in the States about the costs and administrative
cumbersomeness of maintaining dual voting rolls.”27 As a result of these issues, the 26th
amendment established that the minimum voting age in local, state and federal elections to be 18
was passed.
Use of the Right to Vote
In the 1972 election, after the minimum age to vote was changed, youth voters voted at
55%. Even with this high turnout, young voters had a lower turnout rate than those 25 and older,
25
Neale, Thomas, The Eighteen Year Old Vote the Twenty-sixth Amendment and Subsequent Voting Rates of Newly
Enfranchised Age Groups. Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service,Library of Congress, 1983.1 Web. 10
Nov. 2014|. <http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs8805/m1/1/high_res_d/83-
103GOV_1983May20.pdf>
26
Staff, History.com. "The 26th Amendment." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010.Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.history.com/topics/the-26th-amendment>
27
Neale, Thomas H. Ibid.12

11. 10
who had a 70% turnout rate.28 In this election, George McGovern thought that young voters
would propel him to win the candidacy against Nixon who was an incumbent. This in some
respect set the tone for the relationship between youth voters and engagement. The “mutual
neglect” mentioned earlier can be traced to this election.
Turnout of young voters continued to plummet reached 39.9 % in the 1988 presidential
election then a surge of participation happened in the 1992 that increased it to 48.6%. Figure 2.1
illustrates the long term decline and inconsistent nature of youth voter turnout in presidential
elections. Although in the 2000, 2004, and 2008 presidential elections youth voter turnout
increased but the 2012 election it declined. In the 2012 presidential election 41.2 % of youth
voted compared to 48.5% in 2008.
Figure 2.129
28
CIRCLE » "Fact Sheet." CIRCLE. Center for Information and Research on Civic Learningand Engagement. Web. 11
Nov. 2014.<http://www.civicyouth.org/PopUps/FactSheets/FS_Youth%20turnout1972_2002.pdf>.
29
The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learningand Engagement. Youth & Adult Voter Turnout From
1972-2002.Availableat<http://www.civicyouth.org/PopUps/FactSheets/FS_Youth%20turnout1972_2002.pdf>

12. 11
Why Aren’t Youth Voting?
There are various reasons why the youth are not voting but it should be noted that these
reasons do not only apply to youth voters. The registration process is complex and overwhelming
for many people. “The most significant disparity in why youth and older adults did not register to
vote had to do with difficulties in the process. Nearly a quarter of young people (24%) said that
they did not know where or how to register, or that they did not meet the registration deadline”.30
In order to register to vote you must provide a permanent address, which determines where you
must vote. Many young people are mobile, in college, or have no established residence. Due to
this many young people have to use absentee ballots, which take more effort and have to be
mailed back by a certain date. “The findings indicate that restrictions on when, how, and who
can register citizens to vote do not affect older voters, but they may indeed suppress registration
rates for young people.”31
Also, many youth people are not interested in voting. “By far, the most common reason
given by both youth and older adults (age 30+) for not registering to vote in 2010 was a lack of
interest.”32 The apathetic attitude towards politics can be linked to a generational change in
technology and communication. “Young adults have not consciously decided to avoid political
news in recent years; rather, having been socialized in a markedly different communications
environment, they just have not picked up the same media habits that their parents and
30
CIRCLE » 2014 Midterms: “Why Half of Youth Don’t Register to Vote." CIRCLE RSS. The Center for Information
and Research on Civic Learningand Engagement. n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2014. <http://www.civicyouth.org/2014-
midterms-why-half-of-youth-dont-register-to-vote/>.
31
CIRCLE » 2014 Midterms: “How Youth Register to Vote." CIRCLE RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.civicyouth.org/2014-midterms-how-youth-register-to-vote/>.
32
CIRCLE » 2014 Midterms: “How Youth Register to Vote."

13. 12
grandparents did.”33 For instance, older generations read daily newspapers that kept them
politically informed and engaged; now television news and increasingly social media is what
informs the youth. Research has shown that the best way to be informed about political matters
is through the media of newspapers.34 Therefore, the media that youth voters are using is not as
politically informative in comparison to older generations.
Another significant factor that contributes to the lack of interest stems from not being
targeted by campaigns and candidates to vote, which is what this paper focuses on. Young
people are ignored due to having a history of non-voting. “Elected officials respond to the
preferences of voters, not non-voters. As rational actors, candidates and parties tend to ignore the
young and a vicious cycle ensues.”35 Campaigns seem unwilling to focus on a group that lacks a
voting history; they tend to neglect the youth instead of trying to break through barriers. This
could be attributed to past attempts that have not been successful or the difficulties of reaching
youth voters. However by doing this, political parties miss out on a demographic of the voting
population and cause young people to feel as if they do not matter and voting is not for them.
What is the Significance?
Many people have found it an expected trend now that youth voters are not voting.
Young voters voting at lower rates than is expected is a problem in a democratic system.
America is a democracy and the democratic system is supposed to represent the people. If youth
voters do not vote their interests and views may not be heard or addressed by elected officials.
“By passing up opportunities to vote, young adults are ceding important decisions to people who
33
Wattenberg, Martin P. Is Voting for Young People?. 3
34
Graber, Doris.Mass Media and American Politics. Washington,DC: Congressional Quarterly press,2002.
35
Iyengar, Shanto. Technology and Politics:Incentives for Youth Participation.Political CommunicationsLab.
Stanford University,18| Nov. 2003.Web. 22 Nov. 2014.
<http://pcl.stanford.edu/common/docs/research/iyengar/2003/youthincentives.pdf>.

14. 13
have different values and interests.”36 Furthermore, in a democracy it is important for as many
people as possible to vote to ensure that democracy is working at its full potential. It should also
be taken into consideration that the millennial generation (people born between 1979 and 2000),
will make up 40 percent of the electorate.37 Today’s youth voters at some point will be the
people who drive politics and the direction the nation goes, therefore it is important for them to
be involved now.
Chapter 3: Packaging Politics
Politics in itself is similar to a product and it is up to political parties, candidates, and
other political actors to sell it to the consumers--the voters. In order to sell politics it must be
appealing, like any other product it must be packaged well. This section will examine the role of
campaigns in selling politics. Analyzing how campaigns have developed and looking at distinct
aspects of campaigns leads into discussion how campaigns can impact the political mobilization
of youth voters, specifically in the 1992 and 2008 presidential elections
The Development of Campaigns
A campaign is the time frame before people make a political choice.38
Addressing voters during this time frame is becoming more and more important in elections. In
comparison to the first presidential election, candidates have gone about campaigning
differently. In the past elections were focused on political parties with candidates in the
36
Wattenberg, Martin P. Is Voting for Young People?. 5
37
Madland,David and Ruy Teixeira.“New Progressive America: The Millennial Generation.“ Center for American
Progress,2009.
38
Brady Henry, Richard Johnston, and John Sides."The Study of Political Campaigns."George Washington
University (n.d.): 2. 2006. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. <http://home.gwu.edu/~jsides/study.pd>.

15. 14
background, more like symbolic representations of the party’s ideology because candidates were
selected by the party not the people. Today candidate’s roles are more significant and influential
to the success of the campaign. The creation of the popular primary has caused the election to
focus more on the candidate. 39 Once people were able to vote for the presidential nominee it
pushed the role of the candidate to the center of the campaign.
Technology plays a significant role in pushing the candidate as the focus. For instance,
television is the main way people consume news today the medium in which campaigning is
done had to transform. Figure 3.1 illustrates that people learn the most about campaigns through
TV. Campaigns have to meet these demands of the voters. This good thing on one hand because
campaigns reach more people but there is pressure on the candidate to play a more active role in
appealing to the people voting therefore things such as personality and image now.40
Figure 3.141
39
Wayne, Stephen J. The Road to the White House: The Politics of Presidential Elections.Boston:Thompson, 2008.
314-316|.Print.
40
American Experience: TV's Most-watched History Series." PBS, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/then-and-now/presidents/>.
41
PEW Research: Center For the People & the Press,” Cable Leads the Pack as Campaign News Source” Availableat
< http://www.people-press.org/2012/02/07/section-1-campaign-interest-and-news-sources/>

16. 15
Campaigning strategies have also succumbed to changing overtime. “Although the tactics that
presidential hopefuls used in the early days of our country's history are still relevant, those who
seek to be the Commander in Chief today must embrace a vast array of strategies that invite
constant exposure and accountability.”42 These new strategies focus on packaging politics as a
product for voters to buy into. Campaigns are becoming specialized to sell groups of people due
to the diversity of interests people have.
New technologies play an integral role in the changes of strategies. Presidential
candidates rely on the internet -- with official websites and social media accounts to constantly
be engaged with voters beyond television and radio.43 The popularity of social networks
(Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram) is allowing for people to stay informed on the
campaigns but also comment and act on what them as engaged citizens.
Measuring the Attentiveness of Campaigns
The role of campaigns is rarely addressed in the literature about the youth vote; low voter
turnout by this group is what is often focused on. The role of campaigns is often overlooked, but
why? It appears that in order to measure the attentiveness of a campaign is a more complex than
looking at numbers of how many youth voters actually voted in an election. “Measuring
campaign effort means attending to both time and money, as dollars and hours are spent are the
most fundamental indicators.”44 Therefore, in order to measure how efforts campaigns make
consideration of actions taken--ads, mobilization, conventions, debates, and appearance are more
complex to measure than statics and polls. Actions made by campaigns speak to various groups
42
"American Experience: TV's Most-watched History Series."
43
Ibid
44
Brady, Henry, Richard Johnston,and John Sides."The Study of Political Campaigns."3

17. 16
and at times its harder to establish if an action was specifically targeted at one group or not. In
order to connect campaign actions directly to the youth vote three aspects of campaigns will be
focused on: policies, tactics used to win the vote, and the use of new mobilizing strategies to
connect to youth voters. This thesis will examine each aspect listed above in the 1992 and 2008
presidential elections.
In respect to policies, the stance candidates take on policies is important in determining
how people vote; especially youth voters since they historically are not significantly linked a
particular party. Some voters will make choices based on specific policy choices therefore
candidates will try to adjust their position on issues strategically to appeal to certain groups.45
Furthermore, if a candidate does not address issues that matter to youth voters then it can affect
the overall turnout. Research shows that historically other than the economy, issues such as the
environment, health (AIDS) and race relations are more of a concern to youth voters than older
generations. 46 What is important may change over time: therefore the policies that are focused
on may change each election, but the main focus is what the policies were and how they were
addressed or not addressed.
The ways that campaigns sell themselves to “get out the vote” will be examined. “Young
people who are contacted by an organization or a campaign are more likely to vote.”47 It has
also been found that if people register they are more likely to vote. “Young people who are
45
Chapter 12: Voter Choice| CAMPAIGNS & ELECTIONS: Rules,Reality,Strategy, Choice: W. W. Norton Study
Space, n.d. Web. 21 Nov.
2014<http://www.wwnorton.com/college/polisci/campaignsandelections/ch/12/outline.aspx>
46
Hugick, Larry,and ChristineGelhaus."The Twenty Something Generation and the 1992 Election." Editorial.The
Public Perspective,July/August 1992. Accessed February 6, 2014.http://www.ropercenter.uconn.edu/public -
47
CIRCLE » "Youth Voting."

18. 17
registered to vote turnout in high numbers, very close to the rate of older voters.”48 It will be
examined if campaigns used tactics focused on reaching young voters in this way. Along with
campaigns there are outside groups that are focused on pushing young people to the polls. Every
election year there is a spawning of organizations that are attempting to reach young voters and
campaigning to get them engaged. They understand the potential power the youth voting block
has and focus on motivating this group to get involved. From organizations such as Rock the
Vote to Citizen Change and Young Democrats to Reverb are some of the many groups that have
formed to encourage the youth to vote. These organizations facilitate a large amount of the
mobilization that is done to get the youth engaged. Moreover, these organizations help
campaigns become aware of what are the most effective ways to attract young voters.
The use of new ways of connecting to youth voters will be examined. Methods
such as: internet, social media, email, smartphones, and television which are technological
conventions are often associated with the youth due to youth being high consumers of it. “They
are “digital natives”—the only generation for which these new technologies are not something
they’ve had to adapt to.”49 It is noted that in every election what is new or innovative may differ
therefore, methods in acknowledgement of the time of the election how and they were used will
be examined.
1992 PresidentialElection:Bill Clinton vs. George H.W. Bush
The 1992 elections main candidates were President George H.W. Bush
(Republican incumbent) and Democrat Governor of Arkansas Bill Clinton. There was also
48
CIRCLE » "Youth Voting."
49
PEW Research Center: Social Demographic Trends Project "Millennials in Adulthood."Pew Research Center, 7
Mar. 2014.Web. 29 Nov. 2014.<http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2014/03/07/millennials-in-adulthood/>.

19. 18
an independent candidate; Ross Perot had a strong presence in this election but the major
competitors were Clinton and Bush. Due to Bush being an incumbent it gave him a slight
advantage but not enough to win the Presidency for his second term. Part of this win can be
attributed to the high youth voter turnout that was in favor of Clinton. This brings the examining
of the three aspects listed earlier in regards to the 1992 presidential election.
Policies
Economy--during this election the economy was at the center of the issues surrounding
the campaign due to America being pulled into a mild recession in 1990-1991 under Bush’s
administration. “The service sector--financial firms, banks, thrifts, and insurance companies, and
the white-collar workers employed by these companies were hit the hardest by this recession.50
Youth voters were feeling the effects of the economy just like any other age group and
disapproved of the lagging economy because this meant a lack of jobs and opportunities for
themselves. 69 percent of youth voters believed that condition of the nations economy within the
last year had gotten worse.51 Bush and Clinton had two different ideologies and solutions for the
struggling economy. Bush believed that the government should not interfere in the free market
and let it work itself out. Bush stated that “Today the Federal Government spends nearly 24 cents
of every dollar, 24 cents of every dollar of the nation's income. And that's the fact. Government
50
Kamery, Rob. "A BRIEF REVIEW OF THE RECESSION OF 1990-1991."In The Academy of Legal, Ethical and
Regulatory Issues,,61-64.Proceedings of Allied Academies International Conference. 2nd ed. Vol. 8. Accessed
March 06, 2015.http://www.sbaer.uca.edu/research/allied/2004_maui/legal_ethical_regulatory_issues/14.pdf.
51
The AmericanNational ElectionStudies "Conditionof Nation's EconomyOver the Last Year 1980-2008 PERCENT AMONG
DEMOGRAPHICGROUPS WHO RESPONDED :'GottenWorse'"Chart. In The American National Election Studies. AccessedApril
05, 2015. http://electionstudies.org/nesguide/2ndtable/t4e_1_3.htm.

20. 19
is too big and spends too much.”52 With this belief that government is too involved Bush
proposed that cutbacks were the solution to fixing the economy.
With his unofficial campaign slogan being “It’s the economy, stupid”; Clinton believed
the government should get involved to fix it and the injustices created from this economy,
”Clinton stated “People who make over $200,000 saw their incomes raise fifteen times faster
than average Americans. The average middle- class person, by contrast, is working 158 hours a
year more than in 1969 for about the same income -- an extra month of work without extra pay.
A new social order is emerging, more unequal, more divided, more impenetrable to those who
seek to get ahead.”53 Clinton acknowledged the concerns ordinary Americans were feeling
proposed solutions such as a good education to all citizens, rebuilding the economy in order for it
to grow and pushing for society to change overall. Clinton made sure to specifically speak to
how the economy was affecting youth voters: “Millions of young people growing up in this
country today can't count on that dream. They look around and see that their hard work may not
be rewarded. Most people are working harder for less these days, as they have been for well over
a decade. The American Dream is slipping away along with the loss of our economic
leadership.”54 Clinton’s stance on the economy targeted the interests of youth voters.
Environment-- for young voters environmental protection is consistently major point of
concern. Candidates campaigned this issue very differently. While Bush’s approach relied
heavily on attacking existing laws to protect the environment; Clinton however emphasized
52
"Excerpts From Bush's Economic Speech in Detroit." The New York Times. September 10, 1992.Accessed March
09, 2015.http://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/11/us/the-1992-campaign-excerpts-from-bush-s-economic-speech-
in-detroit.html
53
C-SPAN. "Clinton Campaign Speech." Speech, /clinton-campaign-speech,Wharton School of Business,
Pennslyvania.Accessed March 06,2015.http://www.c-span.org/video/?25654-1/clinton-campaign-speech.
54
C-SPAN. "Clinton Campaign Speech."

21. 20
environmental action. The economic status of the nation called for Bush to be steeply concerned
with job security that he was willing to openly attack policies that protected the environment as a
means to create more jobs. “He called for opening half the nation's wetlands to development, a
clear reversal of a 1988 campaign promise, and proposed drilling for oil in the untouched Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.He urged changes in the law to allow strip mining for coal in
national forests, and he dulled the effectiveness of the 1990 Clean Air Act by delaying a host of
new rules and changing others.” Bush even attacked the Endangered Species Act in order to
fulfill his goal of job growth. Bush’s new stance on the environment was contradictory to how he
campaigned the issue in his last election.55 In the 1988 election Bush stated he wanted to be
known as the “Environmental President” however his newly found disdain for environmental
laws and policies for the country to gain economic advancement did not seem to help him in
this election.
Clinton acknowledged his failures with the environment as the Governor of Arkansas but
linked his states actions of creating more jobs for short term while hurting the environment in
which he understood later on as counter productive. “He has promised that as President he
would ban new offshore oil and gas drilling, support an international treaty to control emissions
of carbon dioxide that add to global warming and convene a meeting to settle differences
between environmentalists and loggers in the Pacific Northwest, though he says he would leave
the Endangered Species Act unaltered.”56Clintons' platform ensured that job security and
environmental protection were ideas that could exist together. Clinton also had a vice president
candidate that was seen as a legitimate spokesperson for the issues. Gore also like his running
mate reached out to youth voters on MTV’s to discuss the environment amongst many other
55
Ibid.
56
Schneider, Keith. "THE 1992 CAMPAIGN:Issues -- The Environment;ClintonandBush Show Contradictions in BalancingJobs
and Conservation."

22. 21
questions. 57 Although Clinton’s track record of environmental protection as a Governor was
shaky he was able to be articulate his platform and use his running-mate Al Gore effectively in
this policy area.
Getting the Vote
The Democratic Party made some effort to make one on one contact with youth voters
through visiting college campuses and both candidates made an effort to make appearances to
sell their campaign to youth voters. According to the American National Election Studies only
15 percent of youth voters were contacted by either major party but 85 percent were contacted to
register to vote.58 The majority of the campaigning to register youth voters and get them to the
polls was done by outside organizations. Rock the vote and MTV’s Choose or Lose came
together to engage youth voters in this election. Many praised Rock the Vote and Choose or Lose
for registering 750,000 new voters and also, getting youth voters to vote in a record number of
11 million in the 1992 election. 59
Rock the Vote is a non-profit that was established in 1990 by the music industry. There
was two concerns Rock the Vote wanted to address initially which was fighting censorship and
mobilizing youth voters to support this fight.60 Rock the Vote began to partner with other
organizations however once it partnered with MTV it started to form into what it is today. MTV
57
Suro, Roberto. "THE1992 CAMPAIGN:Al Gore;Environment andIndustryCan Flourish, Gore Says." The New YorkTimes. The
New York Times, 21 Oct. 1992. Web. 06 Apr. 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/22/us/the-1992-campaign-al-gore-
environment-and-industry-can-flourish-gore-says.html>.
58
The AmericanNational ElectionStudies "Contacted byEither Major Party1956-2008 PERCENT AMONG DEMOGRAPHIC
GROUPS WHO RESPONDED:Yes'" Chart. In The American National Election Studies. AccessedApril 05, 2015.
http://electionstudies.org/nesguide/2ndtable/t6c_1a_1.htm.
59
Jaegger, Barbara."Posthumous saluteto a man and his mission."In:The Record, October 8, 1993: 11.
60
Dowd, Timothy. "Rocking the Vote:The Music Industry and the Mobilization of Young Voters." Journal on Media
Culture 3 (2000):3. Rockingthe Vote. SoundScapes.info.Web. 01 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/VOLUME03/Rocking_the_vote.shtml>.

23. 22
was founded in 1981 and in was a twenty-four hour music video station in 1992.During this time,
MTV was being criticized for its explicit content and partnering with Rock the Vote gave MTV a
chance to re-brand itself.
Between 1990 and 1992, MTV donated 20 million dollars’ worth of free airtime for
PSA’s created by the Rock the Vote.61 Many of these PSA’s used pop culture icons as endorsers
of voting and made voting look fun and cool so it would appeal to young voters. For the 1992
election, MTV decided to focus a portion of its air time on covering the presidential campaign
with the Choose or Lose segment. Choose or Lose covered conventions discussed issues that
mattered to youth voters and brought the candidates to the youth. By working together, Rock the
Vote and MTV brought continuous coverage of the campaigns to this group that they may not
have seen or cared enough to watch.62 Overall, both organizations played a significant role in
getting young voters to vote in this election and they still continue to make these efforts today.
Connecting
In the 1992 election the new way to reach voters was through appearing on late night
television programs and television call in shows, these programs were not solely focused on
news. This was not the first time that candidates used informal forums as a means to reach out to
voters however in 1992 it was more common.“Politicians and media analysts agree that the rise
of the talk show in political culture reflects broader trends, most significantly the declining
61
Hall,Carla."Heavy-Metal suffrage. Rock the Vote's young crowd registration."In: The Washington Post,June 12,
1992: C1.
62
Miller, Judith “But Can You Dance to It?: MTV Turns to News,” New York Times,
October 11, 1992.

24. 23
influence of the network news shows.”63 Talk shows had an important in the role of informing
the public and reaching out to a wider variety of people overall, including youth voters, this was
critical to this campaign in particular. Appearing on shows that were not focused on the news
allowed for a more lax environment for candidates to speak more openly without the hard
questions and build more intimate relationships with voters.64
Clinton’s campaign advantageously used this new forum to reach voters to appeal to the
average person. Clinton made appearances on top rated talk shows such as Arsenio Hall and and
Larry King in which he showcased his musical ability on the saxaphone. 65 While he was able to
showcase a personal talent of his he was also able to discuss pressing issues in the same setting.
In reference to Clinton on the Aresional Hall Show: “He then spent half an hour discussing, in
rather general terms, his views on the recent Los Angeles riots, on racial harmony and on
turning young people away from crime.”66 Clinton thrived in these informal forums and was
able to appeal to voters through his image and personality.
In regards to specifically targeting youth voters clinton appeared on MTV in which he
had a discussion with youth voters. “Choose or Lose: Facing the Future with Bill Clinton”, was
an hour long segment in which youth voters had the opportunity to discuss a variety of topics
with Clinton from his love of Elvis to more serious issues such as Abortion.67 Clinton stated he
wanted “demystify” the political process by focusing on the youth voters. Although most of the
63
Kolbert, Elizabeth. "THE 1992 CAMPAIGN: Media; Whistle-Stops a La 1992: Arsenio, Larry and Phil."The New
York Times. The New York Times, 04 June 1992.Web. 01 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/05/us/the-1992-campaign-media-whistle-stops-a-la-1992-arsenio-larry-and-
phil.html>.
64
Kolbert, Elizabeth. "THE 1992 CAMPAIGN: Media; Whistle-Stops a La 1992: Arsenio, Larry and Phil."
65
Ibid.
66
Ibid.
67
Ifill,Gwen. "THE 1992 CAMPAIGN: Youth Vote; Clinton Goes Eye to Eye With MTV Generation." The New York
Times. June 16, 1992. Accessed April 01, 2015.http://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/17/us/the-1992-campaign-
youth-vote-clinton-goes-eye-to-eye-with-mtv-generation.html.

25. 24
youth involved in this discussion were registered voters due to this taking place on MTV he was
reaching out to other youth who were avid watchers of the program and network .68 This gave
Clinton the upper hand with youth voters.
Bush criticized the idea of reaching out to youth voters in the manner Clintonhad: "I
think in a campaign year, you've got to draw the line somewhere. And I am not going to be out
there kind of being a teeny-bopper at 68. I just can't do it."69 While Bush made appearances on
television he relied on traditional media coverage reaching a smaller demographic. 85% of
youth voters watched this campaignon TV.7 0 This means it was critical for the candidate to
reach television forums engaged Youth voters. Unlike Clinton Bush did not use this medium
effectively to reach broader audiences.
Analysis
Upon reviewing the Presidential Election of 1992 it is evident that the Clintons’
campaign was more effective in mobilizing youth voters.Clinton’s platform on issues such as the
economy and Environment that youth voters found important served in his best interest.
Although the Democratic party nor the Republican party made significant efforts to mobilize the
voters Clinton himself did target this group. By communicating through non traditional media
forums like MTV and late night talk shows he was able to sell himself and his image to broader
audiences including youth voters. Moreover, 44 percent of youth voters voted for Clinton in
68
Ibid.
69
Berke, Richard L. "THE 1992 CAMPAIGN: White House; Bush Braces for a Political 'Hurricane'"The New York
Times. June 18, 1992. Accessed April 01, 2015.http://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/19/us/the-1992-campaign-
white-house-bush-braces-for-a-political-hurricane.html.
70
The AmericanNational ElectionStudies."Watched CampaignonTV 1952-2008 PERCENT AMONG DEMOGRAPHICGROUPS
WHO RESPONDED :'Yes'" Chart. In The American National Election Studies. Accessed April 05, 2015.
http://electionstudies.org/nesguide/2ndtable/t6d_1_2.htm.

26. 25
comparison to 34% that voted for Bush.71. These findings suggest that when an effort is made to
reach out to youth voters, they are responsive and vote.
2008 PresidentialElection:Barack Obama Vs. John MCcain
The main candidates the 200 of this Democratic Senator from Illinois Barack Obama
against Republican Senator from Arizona John McCain. This is the first election since 1952 in
which there was no incumbent candidate due to Bush not running for a second term which put
more pressure on both campaigns to reach voters.
Policies
Economy-- under Bush’s administration in 2008 the economy began to fail a which led
to the recession of 2008 to be at the center of the of election. Citizens wanted to know what the
candidates were going to pull the nation out of the recession. 61 percent of youth voters felt that
it was the most important problem at the time.72 In order to address the issue both candidates
supported the 700 billion Wall Street Bailout plan however they framed the issues differently
within their campaign. . For instance Mccain wanted less regulation of the economy and pointed
at lobbyists and politicians to blame while obama believed that it was the lack of regulation of
big business that led the economy down the road of recession.73 The youth electorate in this
election is seen as liberal and in favor of government regulation which made Obama more
appealing to youth voters.
71
Johnson, Steve. "Voters Under Age 25 Go For Clinton, Democrats."Tribunedigital-chicagotribune. ChicagoTribune, 05 Nov.
1992. Web. 06 Apr. 2015. <http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1992-11-05/news/9204100226_1_exit-polls-exit-poll-numbers-
youth-vote>.
72
Keeter, Scott. "Young Voters inthe 2008 Election." PewResearch Center RSS. November 13, 2008. AccessedApril 7,2015.
http://www.pewresearch.org/2008/11/13/young-voters-in-the-2008-election/.
73
Carter, Shan. "On the Issues:Economy." Election 2008. The New YorkTimes, 23 May2012. Web. 18 Apr. 2015.
<http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/president/issues/economy.html>.

27. 26
Youth are often vulnerable in matters of job security especially through recessions.
“They're dealing with more college debt than ever—nearly $20,000 for the average student. And
more than a quarter lack health care coverage, a rate twice as high as the rest of the population.74
Although higher education is not a crucial as job security for youth voters Obama spoke to both
of these issues as one which was successful in getting the support of youth voters. “He
promised he would cut the deficit we inherited in half by the end of my first term with “the most
transparent administration ever. President Obama also said, “when I’m President, I will make
college affordable for every American.”75 Obama’s stance on economy was able to help establish
him as a true contender in the race hence 60 percent of youth voters felt Obama would do a
better job in fixing the economy versus 33 percent of youth voters that believed Mccain would.
Healthcare-- as mentioned more than a quarter of these voters lack health insurance for
various reasons. In this election health care affordability was the second most important issue to
youth voters with 40% of youth voters polling this as a concern. 76 Both candidates wanted to cut
government spending on healthcare but had two different approaches on how this reforming
should take place. McCain wanted reform health care without increasing taxes on the
wealthy.“I’m certainly not interested in raising people’s taxes, as many of the Democrats are
interested in doing. I’m absolutely opposed to that.”77 McCain opposed making everyone have
74
Ruggeri, Amanda. "YoungVoters PoweredObama's VictoryWhile ShruggingOff Slacker Image." USNews. U.S.News & World
Report, 6 Nov. 2008. Web. 8 Apr. 2015. <http://www.usnews.com/news/campaign-2008/articles/2008/11/06/young-voters-
powered-obamas-victory-while-shrugging-off-slacker-image>.
75
Bigelow, Ciela. "YouthVote:Obama's Most Loyal Supporters Are JumpingShip." Townhall.com. N.p., 31 Oct. 2012. Web. 8
Apr. 2015.
<http://townhall.com/columnists/celiabigelow/2012/10/31/youth_vote_obamas_most_loyal_supporters_are_jumping_ship/p
age/full>.
76
Davison, McKayle. ANALYSISOF YOUNG VOTERSIN THE 2008 ELECTION. Rep. AmericanUniversitySchool of Communication,
n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2015. <http://www.american.edu/soc/americanforum/upload/au-report-on-young-voters.pdf>.
77
Sack, Kevin. "On the Issues:HealthCare." - Election Guide 2008. The New York Times, 23 May2012. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.
<http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/president/issues/health.html>.

28. 27
health care and believed that it should be a choice of the person however he was willing to make
provisions through tax credits to make healthcare more affordable. “In health care, we believe in
enhancing the freedom of individuals to receive necessary and desired care. We do not believe in
coercion and the use of state power to mandate care, coverage or costs.”78 McCain attributes his
stance to his traditional beliefs as a conservative however this did not appeal to liberal young
voters.
Meanwhile Obama’s platform on health insurance is as liberal as it gets and appeals to
young voters. Obama plan for healthcare reform included universal healthcare as a primary goal.
Obama target raising taxes on big businesses in order to secure these changes. “To help pay for
all this, we will ask all but the smallest businesses who don’t make a meaningful contribution
today to the health care coverage of their employees to do so by supporting this new plan.”79
Along with the incentives through tax credits Obama was willing to provide insurance to people
who cannot afford it through expanding eligibility for state programs like Medicaid or allowing
youth voters to stay on their families insurances after college. 68 percent of young voters felt
that Obama would do a better job at making healthcare more affordable and available.80 There is
seemingly a correlation in Obama’s position on how to address healthcare reformation and its
appeal to youth voters.
Getting the Vote
In this election outside mobilizing organizations played a role in reaching youth voters
however it was a smaller one compared to the 1992 election due campaigns playing the primary
78
Mccain., John "JohnMcCain:Remarks on Health Care in DesMoines, Iowa."John McCain:Remarks on Health Care in Des
Moines, Iowa. The American PresidencyProject, 11 Oct. 2007. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=77103>.
79
Sack, Kevin. "On the Issues:HealthCare." - Election Guide 2008.
80
Davison, McKayle. ANALYSISOF YOUNG VOTERSIN THE 2008 ELECTION.

29. 28
role in mobilization. The Rock the Vote organization registered 2.6 million people in this
election. 81 This organization utilized every aspect of their organization to get youth voters to
vote from there website to vote rallies around the nation. Other mobilizing organizations such
the Hip Hop Caucus, New Voters Project, and the Bus Federation used their resources to
encourage young voters to participate in this election.82 Some of the surge in youth voters
participating in this election could be attributed to these outside groups making effective contact.
Each candidate had youth outreach coordinators and used new mediums to mobilize
young voters however Obama’s youth campaign was evidently more successful. Nationally 25
percent of youth voters were contacted by Obama compared to the 13% that was contacted by
Mccain.83 Obama had an entire staff dedicated to youth outreach overall throughout the nation
with a paid youth outreach directors in 18 states while McCain had one full time person on his
team. “Early in 2008, it was clear Senator Barack Obama’s youth outreach was leaps and bounds
more sophisticated and better resourced that Senator McCain’s.”84 Obama’s campaign also used
the means of technology more effectively which reached youth voters while McCain’s
campaign fell short in this aspect. Obama understood that in order to reach voters he needed to
make contact through nontraditional means and it paid off. “ It was an online movement that
begat offline behavior, including producing youth voter turnout that may have supplied the
81
"2008 Accomplishments." Rockthe Vote:Building Political Power for Young People. Rock the Vote, n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.rockthevote.com/about/rock-the-vote-2008-program/>.
82
Johnson, Dennis W. Campaigning for President 2008: Strategy and Tactics, New Voices and New Techniques. New York:
Routledge, 2009. 115. Print.
83
Keeter, Scott. "Young Voters inthe 2008 Election."
84
Johnson, DennisW. Campaigning for President 2008: Strategy and Tactics, New Voices and New Techniques

30. 29
margin of victory.” 85 Both campaigns made an effort to reach youth voters which is a
contribution to the record high youth voter turnout in this election.
Connecting
The role of technology more specifically the internet expanded in this election.Both
Campaigns recognized the significance of the internet and utilized as a political tool to be reach
voters due its popularity and accessibility. In 2008, 46 percent of Americans used the internet,
email or text messaging on their mobile devices to obtain campaign information, share opinions
and get others involved, 86 it should be noted that most of the voters that make up this percentage
were Obama supporters. Moreover youth voters are avid users of technology as a means to
communicate so much so that in this election 58 percent of young people were politically
informed mostly by the web.87 Therefore, campaigns needed to make a great effort on the web to
impact youth voters.
“Like a lot of Web innovators, the Obama campaign did not invent anything completely
new. Instead, by bolting together social networking applications under the banner of a
movement, they created an unforeseen force to raise money, organize locally, fight smear
campaigns and get out the vote that helped them topple the Clinton machine and then.John
McCain and the Republicans.”88 For this reason, Obama’s election is regarded to as innovative
because of how he used media to virtually carry him to the finish line first which had yet to be
done before him. Obama had a paid team specifically for his mybarackobama.com website and
85
Carr, David. “The Media Equation--HowObama Tapped into Social Networks’ Power.” The NewYork Times. 9 Nov. 2008.
Web. 11 Apr. 2015.
86
Rainie,Lee, and Aaron Smith. “The Internet and the 2008 Election” Pew Research Center’s Internet & American
Life Project. 15 June 2008.Web. 10 Apr. 2015. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2008/The-
Internet-and-the-2008-Election.aspx
87
StephenJ. Wayne, Is ThisAnyWayto Runa Democratic Election, 4th Ed. (Washington:CQ Press, 2011), 217.
88
Carr,David.“The Media Equation--How Obama Tapped into Social Networks’Power.”

31. 30
to ensure that it would be effective he had experts of various online media formats as team
members for instace :one of the founders of Facebook, a YouTube Expert, and a text message
advisor.89On his website voters had access to traditional campaign information such as Obama’s
biography and platform on issues however it also included donating tools, voter registration tools
, and various social media tools. This team focused on building a personalized relationship with
voters in order to gain their support.
Through the donation tools and advertisements on the internet Obama was able to rely
on the public to fund his campaign and this happened in record numbers. “While past campaigns
have relied largely on support from small circles of wealthy and well-connected patrons, Obama
has received contributions from more than 1 million donors. He raised $91 million in the first
two months of 2008 alone, most of it in small amounts over the Internet.”90 While McCain raised
substantial amounts of money as well it was not nearly as much as Obama and most of McCain
‘s money that had restrictions on it while Obama’s was from public contributions which allowed
his Campaign more spending discretion. Obama spent 961 million dollars in comparison to 619
million spent by McCain.91 McCain did not have the means financially to outspend Obama in
any category including internet campaigning.
Both McCain and Obama had official social media accounts however Obama’s
campaign clearly demonstrated superiority in the use of them. “In addition to Obama’s 13
million member email list and the three million mobile and SMS subscribers – tools that the
89
Stephen J. Wayne. Is This Any Way to Run a Democratic Election, 219.
90
Mosk, Matthew. "Obama RewritingRulesfor RaisingCampaign MoneyOnline." Washington Post. The WashingtonPost, 28
Mar. 2008. Web. 12 Apr. 2015. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2008/03/27/AR2008032702968.html>.
91
Jones, Erik, andSalvatore Vassallo. The 2008 Presidential Elections:A Story in Four Acts. New York:Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.
105. Print.

32. 31
McCain campaign failed to effectively utilize – the Obama campaign also built advantages in
Website traffic, YouTube viewers and social networking friends through a better coordinated
effort and a 10-to-1 advantage in online staff.”92 By using popular sites such as Twitter,
Facebook, Myspace and many others Obama’s campaign was interactive and allowed for
supporters to have a voice while staying informed. For instance, “Obama had more than three
million Facebook friends, supporters also used the tools that they were familiar with in Facebook
to find creative ways to spread the message in support of his candidacy.”93 This allowed for
young people to build community groups and connect in support of Obama and also stay
connected with the campaign through email and text messages. The campaign on facebook sent
out over a billion emails alone and 7,000 messages with updates and reminders to vote.94 This
example of facebook demonstrated how the Obama Campaign was able to thrive in social media
platforms.
Analysis
Upon reviewing the Presidential Election of 2008 it is evident that Obama's campaign
was more effective in mobilizing youth voters. Obama’s liberal stance on the economy and
healthcare reformation made him more appealing to youth voters which won him popularity.
While in this election outside voting organizations played a smaller role than before ; there was
still an effort on their behalf to get youth voters registered to vote. However most of the
92
Lutz, Monte. "SocialPulpit The Barack Obama’s Social MediaToolkit." (n.d.):5. Berkman Center For Internet and Society and
Harvard University. Cyber Law Clinic, 2009. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.
<http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/sites/cyber.law.harvard.edu/files/Social%20Pulpit%20-
%20Barack%20Obamas%20Social%20Media%20Toolkit%201.09.pdf>.
93
Lutz, Monte. "Social Pulpit The Barack Obama’s Social Media Toolkit." (n.d.):3.
94
Stephen J. Wayne, Is This Any Way to Run a Democratic Election. 219.

33. 32
mobilizing of youth voters was done by the official campaigns themselves. Obama ensured to
reach voters by having a full staff devoted to the needs of the youth which McCain did not have.
By connecting through non- traditional means of campaigning such as the internet and social
Obama was able to raise more money and reach more people, including youth voters. Moreover
Obama had 66 percent of the youth vote in comparison to McCain’s 31 percent.95 These
findings again suggest that when an effort is made to reach out to youth voters, they are
responsive and vote.
Conclusion
In looking at these two elections, it is clear that efforts toward attracting youth voters
were made. In 1992 Clinton used his personality and charisma as a person to win over youth
voters by participating in forums that were interested. Along with Clinton's’ efforts voter
organizations made clear contributions in getting youth voters registered and politically engaged.
In 2008, Barack Obama and McCain's’ campaigns took great strides in reaching out to young
voters. Obama was at the forefront in this effort with his impactful take over of the internet,
social media, emails, and text messaging in order to gain youth support. Although independent
voting organizations played a smaller role in this election they still contributed in registering
youth voters. The effort to mobilize young voter during these campaigns is evident.
Even with the surge of youth voter put in these elections there is an assumption about
youth voters that plagues researchers; which is fueled by the fact that youth participation is still
lower than any other age group in elections. Therefore it is assumed that when youth voters do
vote they come out in such mass numbers that it determines who will win the election which is
95
Keeter, Scott. "Young Voters in 2008 Election."

34. 33
unrealistic. Youth voters share some of the same concerns and may like the same characteristics
or platforms of a candidate as other votes ; this means that while candidates are attracting youth
voters they may also be attracting other voters not in this group.If youth do not vote they will not
be represented and democracy will not be working at its full potential. More troubling is that the
youth will decide the fate of the nation one day. However Youth voters are not solely
responsible for the lack of political engagement. It is imperative that campaigns use their
resources (money, time, and effort) in targeting this group of voters so that they go to the polls.
These are the future drivers of politics and it is crucial that they get involved now.

35. 34

36. 35