Students expected to break voting records this year

Elizabeth Funes/Contributing Writer

College students all over America took a well-needed study break and showed up in unprecedented numbers for the 2008 presidential elections.

It is estimated between 22 to 24 million young people, age 18 to 29, flooded the polls to cement their vote for the next head of state, according to CIRCLE, a nonpartisan center dedicated to civic research. That is over two million more than in 2004.

In fact, amid the high number of young American voters, those with at least some college education are among the most represented voters. Four years later, and riding on the heels of 2008’s considerable turnout, we stand to find out whether our generation will continue to rock the vote, or on the contrary, if Generation Y will become the generation that did not show up.

“I plan on keeping myself informed on the elections and news,” said Gracie Aguero, a senior political science major.

Aguero, who was under voting age in 2008, said that she made it a point to keep herself in the loop with the elections and will continue to do so. Some college students have also taken a hands-on approach and provided the backbone to many presidential campaigns in recent years.

“I’m currently volunteering with the Newt Gingrich 2012 campaign,” said Daniel O’Quinn, a business management and political science major. “I think it’s pretty safe to say that I will become even more involved. With the help of other students from universities such as Barry and Florida Atlantic, these elections will prove to be the most pivotal in American history.”

In our plugged-in digital world, young people are finding themselves increasingly connected to today’s political issues. In 2008, youth voters said the economy was their top pick as the most important political issue. Eliana Jimenez, a sophomore majoring in journalism, said the economy remains her biggest concern.

“It truly is hitting people hard, including myself, and it’s definitely affecting college students because less and less students can afford to go to school,” she said.  On the other hand, for O’Quinn, the upcoming elections will center themselves on maintaining a country with a distinct moral compass.

“I’d enjoy seeing the next president reverse Roe v. Wade. We have the right to life, which is being utterly misrepresented, as abortions have been far too numerous. We’ve deleted a complete generation of people that could’ve been,” he said, regarding the heated debate on abortion. Others say a lackluster job market will push our young constituents to the polls.

“We want to live the dream of having a well-paying job, owning a home and being able to have some luxuries. And when we grow old, we want to be sure that there is social security for all of us,” said Olga Urbina, a health service administration major. “Job security is very important; one of the biggest fears for a college student is graduating and not having a job.”

Being on the brink of entering what some would call the real world seems to be pushing college students and recent graduates to secure their futures in the polls, while supporting a variety of issues.

“We are the immediate future of the U.S. As we step out on to the real world, we will be automatically placed with the deficits of the past years. The decisions made by the winning candidates will have a great influence on how our adult lives will commence,” said Urbina.

A little over half of all eligible voters under the age of 30 rallied for the previous presidential election.

According to Rock the Vote, an organization dedicated to building the political power of the millennial generation by engaging the youngest set, young people will make up a significant 1/4 of the entire electorate in the upcoming presidential race, making this demographic a potentially powerful bunch. “I think the young vote will be very important continuing into 2012,” said Jimenez. “That said, as important as our votes are, most people our age will probably choose not to vote because they are either not familiar with the candidates or they simply don’t care enough to vote.”

Whether or not this is true remains to be seen in the coming year. As the November elections approach, only time will tell if we will continue to see an increase in political interest from the youngest electorate voters.