Social networking sites, texting drew younger crowd to
ballot
The recent presidential election drew out a record number of
voters on Nov. 4, including those who cast their votes for the
first time.
In California, the average turnout was 80 percent, with San
Benito voters turning out at 78 percent.
Social networking sites, texting drew younger crowd to ballot
The recent presidential election drew out a record number of voters on Nov. 4, including those who cast their votes for the first time.
In California, the average turnout was 80 percent, with San Benito voters turning out at 78 percent.
“As a teacher you have to not say too much, but I could hear [the students] talking amongst themselves; they were very positive,” said Louise Roy, a ceramics teacher and Young Democrats Club advisor at San Benito High School. “The atmosphere was really different.”
According to the election results on CNN.com, young voters ages 18 to 29 accounted for 18 percent of the national polling, and 20 percent in California. In 2004 the same age group accounted for 17 percent of the national vote.
“I am excited about the new generation,” Roy said. “This is a turning point.”
Some students even got involved in campaigning.
“For my government class we had to write an essay on which candidate we would like to see become president and volunteer at our local campaign headquarters,” said Sophia Scafani, 18. “I volunteered at the Democratic headquarters and called volunteers to recruit them on Election Day. Being able to help in the election and get the word out really touched me.”
She voted for the first time Nov. 4.
“I did not think voting would be that big of a deal,” she said. “It was just something I did after school. I came home and my day went on as always. While watching the news that night, when we found out who won, was when I realized how amazing voting can be. It was amazing to see that the candidate who I had been hoping for had won. I got really emotional watching the whole broadcast.”
Many students wore shirts to support the candidate of their choice, and although very few of them were able to vote, they still wanted to show who they felt was best suited for the job.
“I am seeing more patriotism, more involvement,” Roy said. “Students are learning about new issues.”
Scafani said, “After voting and after finding out who won, I felt for the first time in my life really proud to be an American. I had never felt so patriotic in my life.”
Josh Vega, 18, agrees and said, “I was inspired to vote because I think that is my patriotic duty.”
Vega, a first-time voter, said, “Obama himself was very inspirational, so he was able to connect with a young audience. However, McCain is an inspirational war hero. It is important that you experience for yourself what your parents, grandparents, and so on, have been partaking in.”
Roy said she believes young people were so drawn to Obama because he appealed to them in different ways. He used the Internet for his campaign along with texting, enabling him to better reach the younger generation, she said. He is also a man who many students can relate to, she said.
“Obama is a role model,” Roy said. “Young people think, ‘If he can do it I can do it.'”
Terry Christensen, a social science professor at San Jose State University, said that Obama’s use of social networks helped him reach more and more young voters.
Once one person found out about Obama, they would tell their friends almost like a domino effect.
“Obama was a charismatic candidate who had a smart use of technology,” Christensen said.
Christensen said Obama’s opposition to the war in Iraq and his international policies may have influenced younger voters.
“He was the anti-war candidate,” Christensen said, adding that the last time youth involvement was this “powerful” was in the 1960s.
In California, 66 percent of young voters cast a ballot for Barack Obama, and 32 percent voted for John McCain, according to CNN.com.
In 2004, 54 percent of young voters were for John Kerry while 45 percent voted for George W. Bush, according to CNN.com.
Laurie Vierra, an SBHS social science teacher and Close Up Club advisor, said students were more involved in this election than in past ones.
“I believe that young voters have felt powerless for the last eight years,” Vierra said. “This election has given them a voice and an energy not seen, in my opinion, since the 1960s.”
Vierra will be attending the inauguration in January along with some of the students in her club.
Vierra said she thinks that diversity between the candidates was appealing to young voters.
“Young voters were also tired of the status quo and woke up to the fact that they could make a difference,” Vierra said. “I believe that some of the issues that people were voting on were deeply personal to many young people.
“A democracy is only as strong as its citizens. I am a firm believer in the power of democracy and it is exciting to see young voters awaken to the possibilities of reform, growth and the future of America as a 21st Century leader in the world.”
