The Youth Vote...Won't

So much for hope and change:

In 2008 Virginia went blue for the Presidential candidate for the first time since 1964. Unprecedented student turnout in place like Williamsburg, Va. drove the electoral surge. In fact, Williamsburg saw one of largest percentage increases of registered voters in the Commonwealth.

But in 2010, voter turnout will likely drop, as students’ love for Obama cools.

A survey of young Americans’ attitudes towards politics and public service by Harvard University’s Institute of Politics conducted from September 24 to October 4, found that approval of President Obama among Millennials dropped below 50 percent for the first time. Young voters overwhelming favored the Democrat in the 2008 presidential contest.

William & Mary student Tessa Raebeck volunteered for the Obama campaign in 2008 by calling voters and going door to door with flyers and voting information — but now, she feels differently.

“I’m particularly dissatisfied with the 180 Obama seems to have made in regards to privacy, constitutional rights and civil liberties,” she said. “In direct opposition to his campaign promises, he has failed to protect the internet from a corporate takeover by ensuring net neutrality through the FCC, he has continued to outsource torture and ignore habeas corpus, he has continued the Patriot Act, and he’s left 35,000 troops in Iraq and sent more to Afghanistan.”

There's some thought that the youth vote will be up in California because so many of them want to legalize pot (Prop 19). I doubt it. If they're that enthused about pot they'll probably forget to go vote.  The ones that do try to go will be distracted by every snack machine they see along the way.

Every election cycle they talk about the importance of the youth vote, and every cycle they don't show up.  You might get a chuckle from this previous item about the youth vote in 1972.