stats, stories

2000 US Presidential Election: 36% of eligible voters age 18-24 vote.
63% of general population votes.
2004 US Presidential Election: 47% of eligible voters age 18-24 vote. (+11%)
67% of general population votes. (+4%)
67% of eligible voters over 25 voted
73% of eligible voters age 55-74 voted (highest participation)

In both years, voters age 18-24 were the least represented age group.

In 2004, 18-24 years olds comprised 12.6% of the general electorate but cast only 9.3% of the votes.

In the 2008 primaries and caucuses, there was an average increase in participation by voters age 18 to 24 by 103%.

According to a recent Democracy Corps poll, 72% of eligible voters age 18-24 rated their likelihood of voting in the 2008 election as "10 out of 10." - 56% of which said that this is the beginning of a new period in history, and 58% of which said that this is the most important presidential election America has yet to experience.

1. 18-24 year old Americans fully participate in all aspects of American life. We have jobs, pay bills, pursue education, have families, need health care and transportation as well as financial and ecological security. Some of us are even fighting the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan. However, we are the age group that least participates in the presidential election - in 2004, Americans over 25 voted at a rate nearly one and a half times that of 18 to 24 year olds. Things are about to change, with 72% of this age group rating themselves as highly likely to vote.

2. Americans age 18 to 24 have made significant gains in improving their share of the vote - in 2004, participation in the presidential election was up 11% from the 2000 election. However, in 2004, only 47% of 18 to 24 year olds voted compared to 67% of all voters over the age of 25. Since young voters have a greater share of their lifetimes ahead of them, shouldn't they claim their share of the vote?