Youth Voters Make History as Turnout Shatters Records in 2008 U.S. Presidential Primaries

The 2008 primary season witnessed a surge of youth voters! We found that more than six million people under thirty voted, more than double the amount of voters, defined as 18-29 year olds, in 2000 and 2004. Compared to 2004, the youth vote tripled in Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Mississippi, Texas, and Iowa, even quadrupling in Tennessee.

According to preliminary estimates by CIRCLE, over 2 million young people participated in the Super Tuesday Democratic contests compared to roughly 900,000 in the Republican contests. In California, the democratic youth vote increased from 11% in 2004 to 16% in 2008; in 2008, more than 250,000 young people participated in the Republican primary and 700,000 in the Democratic primary. Ohio’s democratic youth represented 16% in 2008 as opposed to the 9% in 2004. Interestingly, statistics and data revealing youth turnout in 2004 was scarce, whereas top news stations paid special attention to the youth in the 2008 primary season.

Check out our press release! http://www.bizjournals.com/masshightech/prnewswire/press_releases/national/California/2008/06/06/LAF038