Since the general election in 1998, youth voters (18-34) in New Hampshire have been more active than their peers around the country. In fact, according to a recent study by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), the youth turnout in New Hampshire reached an impressive 43% percent in 2008.
University of New Hampshire Political Science Professor Dante Scala tracks voting behavior, and has been watching the role young voters in New Hampshire, especially young conservatives, will play in the primary.
Professor Dante Scala: When I started teaching back in 2000, if you were young and conservative and a bit rebellious, you were probably looking at John McCain. He was seen back then as this maverick Republican who wanted to fight the establishment and so forth. Now, 12 years later, John McCain is supporting Mitt Romney who is an establishment figure, so if you’re young and conservative and rebellious, you’re likely now looking at Ron Paul as your candidate. It’s rather stunning that as clearly the oldest candidate (and he looks the oldest of the candidates), again and again (Ron Paul) appeals to the youngest voters. The younger you are in New Hampshire, if you’re going to vote in the Republican primaries, the more likely you are to vote for Ron Paul, but people Ron Paul’s own age are probably least likely.
DS:My sense from college students, (is that) their libertarianism does cross over to social issues and that’s especially true with the drug war, and that’s especially true with legalization of drugs. (For example) you find...younger evangelicals much less likely to be doctrinaire and opposed to say, gay marriage, as opposed to their parents and grandparents. For young people, being conservative today is more about liberty.Q:Is there anything else that you think is especially interesting...that young conservatives are looking for in your research?
DS:My overall sense is that young people are looking for....a much more bare bones type of conservatism. It doesn’t seem to be mixed up a lot with social conservatism. It doesn’t seem to be mixed up with national security issues. It’s more about libertarianism and creating some space for themselves, some liberty for themselves at home.
Professor Dante Scala was interviewed by Ike Sriskandarajah in New Hampshire. Find more of that interview below.
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To hear more about young conservatives from Youth Radio's Election Desk, check out our coverage from Iowa here.
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Youth Radio has launched its Election Desk, covering the 2012 election year through the voices and views of diverse young adults across the country.
In stories like "In Iowa Young Voters Unenthusiastic About Obama,"Youth Radio's Election team reports on the role young voters are playing during this election and whether the momentum that helped elect President Obama in 2008 endures. The story aired Wednesday January 4th, 2012 on NPR's All Things Considered.
Youth Radio’s Election Desk will continue to follow youth perspectives on the presidential race throughout the year, from on-the-ground coverage of caucuses and primaries, to commentaries on candidates and campaign issues crucial to teens and young adults.
More from Youth Radio's Election Desk:
Young Missionaries In New Hampshire Separate Church From State
Photo above: The Democratic caucuses begin in the school's cafeteria, where party members give speeches in support of President Obama. The President himself joins the event by livestream.
Photo credit: Charlie Foster
Photo above: Republican caucus-goers meet in City High School's auditorium, where they will hear speeches in support of their party's candidates and then cast secret ballots.
Photo Credit: Charlie Foster
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Robyn Gee, Turnstyle News
As candidates for the 2012 presidential election gear up for campaign season, a new study from the Public Religion Research Institute shows that millennials (people born in the 1980's) might throw candidates for a loop by decoupling traditionally married agenda items - specifically same sex marriage and legal abortions.
Millennials are generally liberal, non-religious, educated, and confident, according to a Pew Research study. In the past, being liberal, educated, and non-religious were indicators that you supported the legality of abortion in all or most cases. However, the study shows that millennials (18 - 29) are no more likely than the average American to support the legality of abortion.
Yet, the millennial demographic is unique in that it shows the biggest difference between supporting the availability of abortion (68%) versus the legality of abortion (60%). Hence the name of the study, “Committed to Availability; Conflicted About Morality.”
All other age demographics come within one or two percentage points of agreeing on availability and legality. This seems to suggest that overall legality measures on abortion might not have universal millennial support. Meanwhile, millennials are much more likely than the average American to support legal same-sex marriage. As the study points out, the traditional “values” agenda couples these two items: same-sex marriage and abortion. But these two items are not necessarily a natural pair anymore. We may be young, but man, are we complicated.
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By Zaba Rashan
With the results of the Iranian election between President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his opponent, former Prime Minister Mirhossein Mousavi, still up in the air it remains to be seen what role that country will play on the world stage and in U.S. foreign policy. Commenting on the election President Barack Obama cited his speech to the Muslim world in Cairo as sending a "clear message" about the "possibility of change" in the Middle East, and lauded what he described as a "robust debate" between opposing parties in Iran. Speaking in terms of potential relations between the U.S. and Iran, Obama stressed that such conversations would "help advance our ability to engage them in new ways." Zaba Rashan reflects on what Obama's speech in Cairo meant to her, a Muslim-American woman of Afghani origin.
Former California Senator Don Perata announced yesterday he plans to run for mayor of Oakland in 2010. After months of speculation and hints, Perata said he made his decision official while attending the funeral of the four Oakland police officers killed a week ago. The Ten-year senator has been investigated by the FBI for the past five years for possibly taking kickbacks or bribes, no charges have been fomally charged. Current Mayor Ron Dellums hasn't declared if he will campaign for re-election or not.
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