Younger Voters Trending Democratic

There is a nationwide trend of younger voters moving toward the Democratic Party. Even better, the trend seems to be true in Texas also. This is very good news, because voters tend to settle on their party identification in their twenties and keep that party identification the rest of their lives. This trend could help Democrats for many years to come.

A recent poll shows that about 48% of those between the ages 18-25 now identify themselves with the Democrats. Only 35% identify themselves as Republicans, and the rest call themselves Independents.

Although older voters still vote in greater numbers than younger voters do, even that is changing. Turnout among young voters jumped by 9% in 2004. In the 2006 election, it climbed another 2-4%. Chances are that the number of young voters will be even larger in 2008.

There are several reasons why this is happening:

A) Demographics are changing, and the younger generation has a larger percentage of non-whites than previous generations.

B) Young people have more liberal views on social issues, and these clash with the Republican Party beliefs.

C) Young people are not happy with how the Iraq war is being conducted.

Surprisingly, young evangelicals are also deserting the Republican Party. In 2000, this group was solidly Republican. That is no longer true. Only 40% now identify themselves as Republicans.

This is all very good news for Democrats, but they should not take this for granted. While this demographic is fertile ground for Democratic votes, it is now up to the Democratic Party to see that these young voters actually make it to the polls.