on how campaigns run. In 2006, he worked on the
campaigns of two young Democratic candidates, one
running for Congress, one for the statehouse.
“We used social networking to organize our canvassing events and rallies, and that’s how we picked up
most of our volunteers,” he says. “The candidates
opened up their own Facebook pages and MySpace
pages to engage their constituents. That’s how we got
more college students involved. Instead of having to
rely on the phone or e-mails, we could put up a canvass and easily disseminate that information among
people who were going to show up or might show
up.”
Towns believes that one reason Obama has been so
successful among young voters is that he is adept at
using such online social-networking tools to raise
money and develop networks of supporters.
Other candidates, too, have used the Internet as well
as text messaging, ringtones and other new-media-savvy ways to reach young voters. They also make
appearances on MTV or shows like Comedy Central’s
The Colbert Report.
“Ron Paul has a big following of young people,
also,” Towns says. “It’s often overlooked because the
media doesn’t focus on
Paul and he doesn’t ge t
the respect from the
media.” But, he says,
Paul has used social-networking tools to
reach the conservative
young people receptive to his message.
Christina
Reynolds ’97, a paid
staffer on Edwards’
senatorial campaign
and both his presidential bids, says
campaigns do a lot
more reaching out
and organizing online than they once
did. “Blogs and new media play a much larger role —
they’ve exploded. Campaign Web sites do so much
more. I’m sure we had a Web site in ’ 98 [when
Edwards ran for the U.S. Senate], but it wasn’t as big as
the Web department 10 years later.”
Besides working for Paul and on Republican
Web sites — whether
run by the campaigns
or others — are
playing a big role in
2008 campaigns.
BY THE NUMBERS
Young Voters Come Back
In 1972, when 18- to 20-year-olds first gained the right to vote, 55 percent of citizens aged 18 to 29 turned out at the ballot box,
according to Rock the Vote and CIRCLE, The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. After that,
except for a surge in 1992, young voter turnout steadily declined until in 2000 it stood at only 40 percent.
But across the nation – including North Carolina – the 2004 presidential election and the 2006 midterm election each saw significant increases in both voter registration and turnout among 18- to 29-year-olds.
Voter Registration Among Citizens Ages 18 to 29
Presidential Election
Midterm Election
2000
2004
Change
2002
2006
Change
U.S.
N.C.
55%
59%
60%
61%
+5%
+3%
48%
43%
51%
51%
+3%
+9%
Turnout Among Voters Ages 18 to 29
Presidential Election
Midterm Election
2000
2004
Change
2002
2006
Change
U.S.
N.C.
40%
40%
49%
45%
+9%
+5%
22%
18%
25%
21%
+3%
+3%
Source: “Young Voter Registration and Turnout Trends,” Rock the Vote and CIRCLE, The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning
and Engagement, February 2008
