Obama’s Youthful Voters More Likely to Skip Midterms

Obama’s Youthful Voters More Likely to Skip Midterms
Megan Thee-Brenan, New York Times | August 10, 2010

Will all of those young, enthusiastic Obama voters turn out in 2010? If history is any guide, probably not. Older voters are historically more likely to cast ballots in midterm elections than are voters under the age of 30. And this year, they are already more enthusiastic than younger voters about the coming campaign.Those older voters are most likely to say the country is on the wrong track and to disapprove of the way both Congress and President Obama are doing their jobs, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll conducted this summer.

Eight in 10 Americans 45 and older disapprove of the job Congress is doing compared with 6 in 10 of those under age 45. While opinions about Congress differ depending on age, anti-incumbent sentiment cuts across generational lines, with about 8 in 10 Americans saying it is time to give new people a chance to serve.

A CNN poll conducted nationwide in mid-July found older voters were significantly more enthusiastic about voting this year than younger voters. Four in 10 of those aged 65 and older said they were extremely or very enthusiastic about voting in November while just one-quarter of those under 35 years of age said the same. (Read the full article)