Web could give young voters a voice
The 10 million members of Facebook.com -- the social networking website that’s a fixture on college campuses -- aren’t using it just to check out potential dates or keep track of old high school buddies. They’re increasingly using it, and other Internet tools, to get involved in politics.
“He ain’t Kinky, he’s my governor” is a Facebook group in support of Kinky Friedman, the country singer running for governor of Texas. Polls show the independent candidate in fourth place, but that doesn’t discourage the group’s 20,000 members, most of whom are younger than 25. Messages on the group’s blog urge: “Grab friends and family and take them to the poll!” and “Wear T-shirts!”
Young people, many of whom have used computers since elementary school, are considered a particularly rich target for expanded online political outreach: Every day, nearly two-thirds of all 18- to 30-year-olds check their e-mail, and one-quarter use online communication tools such as Facebook or instant messaging, according to a Young Voter Strategies Battleground Poll conducted in May.
In September, Facebook set up “Election Pulse” -- a rundown of Senate, House and governors’ races. “We wanted to do something to increase the political voice of the people on Facebook, a group that tends to be on the younger side of the electorate and which is often underrepresented in Washington and state capitals,” said Ezra Callahan, project manager for the site’s new politics initiative.
The company approached the major political parties, as well as several smaller ones, offering to set up profiles of candidates, said Melanie Deitch, the site’s marketing director.
According to Facebook, more than 1,600 contenders for national and state offices have posted profiles to connect with young voters. Facebook members can add messages and photos to a candidate’s page, and the site’s “news feed” feature informs their friends that they have done so -- encouraging others to take a look.
But whether these efforts will persuade students to get more involved in politics is unclear. The new Facebook feature “does not really have an appeal to those who are not already following particular House or Senate races,” said Stanford University junior Jeremy Lorber, who is active in Republican politics on campus. He said he believed it was used mostly by “people already tuned into the political scene.”
Studies have consistently shown that younger people lag when it comes to voting.
But Harvard University’s Institute of Politics contends that the previous data on youth voting are inaccurate, because many young people use only cellphones, not the landline phones that survey-takers call. Its poll, which was released Wednesday and includes online survey data, indicates that 32% of the nation’s 18- to 24-year-olds will be voting in the midterm elections. That would be a record.
“Younger voters could make a difference in campaigns across the country,” said Jeanne Shaheen, director of Harvard’s Institute of Politics.
Some groups suggest that voting levels should not be the only measurement in determining whether young people care about politics.
Generation Engage was founded two years ago to get young people who do not attend college involved in meaningful political debate.
It hires young people for get-out-the-vote campaigns -- so far in North Carolina, Virginia and New York -- and sponsors Internet broadcasts in which politicians and celebrities discuss issues with young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
The live programs enable audience members at each broadcast site to pose questions to the speakers, who have included former President Clinton, speaking on technology; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, discussing renewable energy sources; and film director Spike Lee and architect Michael Arad, examining the role of arts in society.
On Monday, Tom Daschle, the former Senate Democratic leader from South Dakota, addressed groups in New York City; Louisville, Ky.; and St. Paul, Minn., on the technology gap between urban and rural communities and the ways young people can effect change in government.
Adrian Talbott, co-founder and executive director of Generation Engage, said the group did not measure success only in the number of newly registered voters. Instead, it is attempting to change the culture -- especially of young people who are not seeking higher education -- to create responsible citizens who are continually aware of national and global issues.
“Young people are not apathetic,” he said. “They don’t suffer from lack of interest but suffer from lack of access.”
