Jobs Are Number One Issue for Young Voters

Rock the Vote first made waves back when Bill Clinton won the 1992 presidential election. Though it now represents a new generation, the nonpartisan organization's mission—getting young voters to the polls—is stronger than ever, says its president, Heather Smith. From concerts and festivals to civics classes and old-fashioned door-knocking, Rock the Vote is launching the nation's largest ever midterm-election registration drive for people 18 to 29 years old. At the group's Washington headquarters, Smith sat down with U.S. News to talk about the influence of young voters and why politicians should pay attention to them. Excerpts:

In the 2008 elections, young voter turnout was higher than ever. Has that momentum continued into 2010?

In 2008, all the stars aligned, and it was a huge year for young people, with more young voters casting a ballot than in any other previous U.S. election. As we head into 2010, they're engaged; they're paying attention; they're watching the news; they're volunteering in their communities; and they will continue to be involved. Of course, for any age group we won't see the same kind of turnout we see in a presidential election, but what we will see are young voters who are likely to participate if they're targeted and if they're registered and if they're asked to go to the polls.

What are the biggest challenges in getting young people to vote?

There are two major factors. The first is registration. About one-third of young people who were registered for the 2008 elections will have moved by 2010, and they'll need to be re-registered. Also, there are about 13,000 people turning 18 every single day. The second factor is whether or not the candidates and campaigns pay attention to them.

How have recent campaigns done reaching out to potential young voters?

In 2009, for example in Massachusetts and Virginia, there was no concerted effort by the Democratic Party to really reach out and target young people. And as a result, we saw that if you don't invite them to the party, then they're not going to show up. I think the Democratic Party learned its lesson.

So the Republicans had reached out?

They had some really interesting campaign efforts that were using online technology and using the language that young people use to communicate with each other. But neither side did a great job.

How do young people tend to diverge politically from the general public?

If young people hadn't turned out in 2008, it would have been a 50/50 electorate. The young people came out and voted overwhelmingly for Barack Obama about 2 to 1, and that made a big difference. Each generation has its own values, and they tend to stick with you for life. What we're learning about these young people, particularly 18- to 29-year-olds, is that they're incredibly diverse; they're incredibly tolerant; they see a real role for government; they're very trusting; they're very optimistic that everything will be okay; they don't get riled up by all this anger and fear; and they want to believe in something.

What are the biggest issues for young voters?

The top issues for young people are very much the same issues for everybody: jobs, the economy, healthcare, education. It won't be the same for everyone, but jobs have been at the top of the list for years.

Where have you seen the most influence by young people in politics?

At the polls, for sure. In 2008, they made a winning difference for not just the president but for many members of Congress who are up for re-election this year and who will really have to reach out and turn out those young people if they want to win again. And also in the healthcare debate. They are the most uninsured age group in our country, and it's an issue that directly relates to them in their own lives. And as the healthcare debate was going on, we went out and said, "Hey, this is about you. Here's what is happening. Here's how the process works. And here's what you can do to call your member of Congress, to write a letter, to go to a town hall." And we gave them the information. At Rock the Vote, we tried to be a microphone for all of those young people out there who are organizing to make sure that healthcare was a good deal for young adults. The piece of the healthcare bill that we were most focused on we call the "age 26 provision," which basically means you can stay on your parents' healthcare plan until your 26th birthday. We were really excited when that became part of the bill that passed.