Youth Voter Turnout Up

Youth voter turnout up in 2006.

Early returns from Tuesday's elections show that young people were particularly inspired to cast ballots, a result that drew cheers from voter activists.

Two million more people under the age of 30 voted in the midterm elections than in 2002, according to an analysis by the University of Maryland's Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.

Twenty-four percent of those 18 to 29 who were eligible voted, the center concluded, up from 20 percent in 2002. The increase is the largest ever among young voters for midterm elections, and it dwarfed the 1 percent rise among the electorate overall from 2002 to 2006.

Turnout more than doubled in 36 precincts where nonpartisan young-voter groups focused their get-out-the-vote efforts. "It's a pretty strong statement," said Heather Smith, director of Young Voter Strategies.

Yeah, looks like young people matter.

Still, 24% is pretty damn low. Overall turnout was higher, in the low 40s.

Until we hit that range, leaders will continue screwing us over with problems like rising education costs (sucks to be a student), outsourcing of good-paying jobs (sucks to be a recent college grad), the soaring national debt (sucks to be a taxpayer in 2040, when we have to pay it off), environmental destruction (sucks to be a human in 2040, when we have to deal with refugee crises and expensive levees as low lying areas go underwater), the deterioration of Medicare/Social Security (sucks to be a taxpayer in 2040, when all the baby boomers are asking us hardworking kids to pay for their meds and life support), etc, etc, blah blah blah, look hard, the future ain't roses.

And only 24% of us voted? And people are acting like it's some kind of miracle??!

Um. No.

It's only a start. We have to do better.