Millennial voters and the 08 election

Because I have spent a great deal of the last 5 years researching the Millennial mindset as it relates to technology and media, I have been brought in to do some advising of several political campaigns. Every political candidate has always viewed young voters as an elusive group that rarely votes. There are a number of reason young voter turnout is generally always low but this year will be different for several reasons.

1. This year more then any year that I have been able to vote, which is just over ten years now, it truly feels like our vote can count. There doesn’t seem to be a clear winner yet in any race which really makes it feel like each vote means something.

2. The second is the Internet. Several campaigns have tremendous online platforms utilizing every possible community and web based technology to communicate with the public and encourage involvement. Because there are so many hot topics that are resonating with young voters the Internet has allowed all of us to get more information on the issues and see which candidates resonate with our values.

3. The third is psychological for Millennials. The Millennial mindset is very different from past generations. Academic research has pinpointed this demographic has having many of the same traits as the WW II generation called the “Greatest Generation.” Millennials are very sensitive to the worlds issues and feel that as a group they can be a part of the solution to make the world better. Many things have contributed to this from the news, to the Internet as well as celebrity support etc. However due to the overwhelming feeling that our country has a tainted brand and that this election is an important step in re-establishing the greatness of America not only locally but abroad as well is understood by the younger voters. This is a large contributing factor to younger voter turnout.