In 2008, capturing the youth vote was key component of President Obama’s win. He claimed two of every three ballots cast by voters 30 and under, who most certainly drank the Hope n’ Change Kool-Aid. Well now, if the president wants to secure that same voting sector, he’s going to have to do a lot more to fire up the youth than be Mr. “Cool,” push campaign swag, visit colleges in swing states, and extend federal student loan rates (not to mention attack Romney for being an outsourcing corporate raider and felon.)
A Gallup Poll released Friday shows that 58 percent of registered voters between the ages of 18-29 are “definitely likely” to vote. That’s down 20 percent from an October 2008 poll.
Although the July/October difference isn’t ideal, twenty percent should be seen as a “BFD” to Obama’s reelection campaign.
With a June jobs report that showed no sign of improvement and many in this age bracket either unemployed or underemployed – the decline is expected. The Obama Camp's switch from Hope and Change to Forward wasn’t that clever of a move.
The Hill notes:
He still holds a 23-point edge with the group over Mitt Romney in Gallup's current tracking polls, a bit of a dip from his 2008 showing.
That advantage won't matter if the young voters don't show up to vote, however.
Come to think of it, Mr. Obama – maybe if you would have told them more stories…