An Examination of U.S. Presidential Candidates and How They Mobilize Youth - Open Journal of Political Science

OJPS > Vol.7 No.4, October 2017

An Examination of U.S. Presidential Candidates and How They Mobilize Youth ()

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Download as PDF (Size: 261KB) PP. 473-487

DOI: 10.4236/ojps.2017.74037 1,365 Downloads 3,186 Views Citations

Author(s)

Michael Pomante

Affiliation(s)

Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.

ABSTRACT

It is well known that American youth, those 18 - 24 years old, have abysmal turnout rates in all elections. Despite the traditional poor performance of this age group, there have been several presidential elections (1992 and 2008) where their turnout has been significantly higher than average. The objective of this research is to explore aspects of U.S. presidential candidates and their campaign activities which lead to higher rates of youth mobilization. Through an examination of newspaper articles over four presidential election cycles, the research uncovers that younger candidates who use new methods of engagement positively influence the turnout rate of youth. Elections which had the greatest levels of youth turnout had significantly younger candidates whose campaigns directly targeted youth through new means. On the other hand, the two elections with the lowest levels of youth mobilization lacked younger candidates whose campaigns failed to actively court young voters in any way.

KEYWORDS

Presidential Election, Presidential Candidates, Youth, Mobilization, Voter Turnout

Share and Cite:

Pomante, M. (2017) An Examination of U.S. Presidential Candidates and How They Mobilize Youth. Open Journal of Political Science, 7, 473-487. doi: 10.4236/ojps.2017.74037.

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