Super Tuesday, Super Day for Youth Vote

The Young Democrats of America turned out the youth vote for our Democratic candidates across the country.   

In states like Arkansas, Arizona, California, and Georgia, Young Democrats worked to get young people to the polls through peer-to-peer phone banks, get out the vote email campaigns, and by utilizing social networking sites to remind people about Election Day and direct voters to their polling place.   

Our efforts paid off.  The youth share of the electorate increased in every state, with significant gains in states like California (16%, an increase of 7% over 2004), Georgia (18%, an increase of 6% over 2004), and New York (15%, an increase of 6% over 2004).

“Young people aren’t just voting in record numbers – they’re voting overwhelmingly for Democratic candidates,” said said David Hardt, President of the Young Democrats of America.  “In early primaries and caucuses and now again on Super Tuesday, young people strongly supported Democrats over Republicans. This is a continuation of the trends we saw in past election cycles, where Democrats won the youth vote 54-44% in 2004 and 60-40% in 2006.” 

Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama targeted this crucial demographic in key states, highlighting how important the youth vote has become in this election. Young people delivered, continuing to vote overwhelmingly for Democratic candidates, choosing to end the war in Iraq, bring economic recovery to the middle class, and fight for college affordability, climate change, and affordable health care instead of affirming the failed Bush agenda. 

“The primary season is just the beginning,” said Alexandra Acker, YDA’s Executive Director.  “The Young Voter Revolution will continue into November and young people will be the margin of victory for Democrats up and down the ticket.  No matter which candidate they choose in the primary, the youth vote momentum is with Democrats for the general election.”