TU: Young voters' turnout low in Northeast Florida, but there's a disagreement as to why

[Patricia M. McBride]

This is not something we are not aware of, but I disagree that in 2008 we were given intelligent solutions.  They were given spin and the chant "hope and change" with no definition of what it meant...............and now we know it meant no jobs, food stamps for all and more unemployment and welfare.  I would wonder if some of these young people are smart enough to make a wiser choice next time around or will they fall for the rhetoric, all the promises that require borrowing huge sums from other countries, and someone who is taking our country off a cliff in more than one way.

Young votes

The totals and turnout percentages of young Republican voters in this week’s Florida presidential primary, compared to the turnout for all voters:

	Registered	Voted	Turnout	All
Baker	1,142	257	23%	47%
Clay	12,109	1,981	16%	41%
Duval	35,350	7,688	22%	45%
Nassau	3,619	747	21%	45%
Putnam	894	284	32%	42%
St. Johns	11,490	2,013	18%	44%

Sources: Supervisors of elections

By Adam Kealoha Causey

February 3, 2012

Young voters' turnout low in Northeast Florida, but there's a disagreement as to why

Voter turnout among Northeast Floridians in the Republican presidential primary mirrored a recent report that some say shows disengaged young adults.

Turnout Tuesday for 18- to 30-year-olds on the First Coast ranged from 16 percent to 32 percent among those counties reporting. In all but one county, that represented less than half of the 41 percent to 47 percent turnout for all voters. The 2011 Florida Civic Health Index showed a statewide average turnout of 21 percent for the age group during the 2010 cycle.

But the head of a national group that worked to get Florida millennials involved in the GOP election said a poor showing doesn’t mean young adults don’t care.

Paul T. Conway is president of the non-partisan Generation Opportunity, which works to organize and mobilize young adults on the nation’s economic challenges. Conway said Thursday that Florida primary results put more pressure on politicians to connect with them.

This generation wants jobs and a strong U.S. economy, he said. It doesn’t want to be stuck with paying back trillions on national debt levels being decided now.

“Woe to those who are running in either party who don’t come to them with intelligent solutions,” Conway said. “This is not a generation that’s going to listen to a bunch of spin. They made history before in 2008.”

That was President Barack Obama’s campaign, which connected with many millennials through social networking sites such as Facebook.

Ann Henderson, director of the University of Florida’s Bob Graham Center for Public Service, disagrees. Her organization worked on the Civic Health Index, and she doesn’t draw a correlation between social media and active participation in the political process.

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/florida/2012-02-03/story/young-voters-...