GenNexters Flex Their Political Muscles

A Clarke Forum panel discusses youth-voter turnout for the '08 election

February 3, 2009

Panelists Jeff Milstein, Adora Mora and Scott Keeter discuss political trends among Generation Next.

From will.i.am's "Yes We Can" to TheDaily Show junkies, the story of electrified young voters dominated media coverage of the 2008 presidential election. According to the Pew Research Center, at least 66 percent of voters ages 18-29 supported Barack Obama, and record numbers of them went to the polls to ensure his historic victory.

On Thursday, Jan. 29, The Clarke Forum hosted Generation Next and the 2008 Election, a panel discussion designed to dig deeper into this phenomenon.

The forum featured Jeff Milstein, producer of the "Generation Next" documentaries on PBS; Scott Keeter, director of survey research at the Pew Research Center; and Adora Mora, one of the "Generation Next" documentary participants. Judy Woodruff, senior correspondent for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS, was scheduled to moderate but was unable to make it. Milstein moderated in her stead.

Although young voters overwhelmingly supported Obama by a ratio of 2-to-1 over John McCain, Keeter noted that they were not the reason Obama won. The overall vote in Obama's favor was so large that in only North Carolina and Indiana did youth votes make a difference.

He said, however, that the GenNext influence couldn't be adequately quantified. "Young voters counted not only as votes but as volunteers," he explained. "They contributed an enormous amount of labor, and I think that did make a difference."

Mora, a junior at Harvard University, was one of those volunteers, and she traveled to work in Ohio and Chicago field offices regularly during her sophomore year. She said that this generation believes they have to get involved—there is no choice, with all the crises and problems to be solved. For her, politics is personal.

"There are hundreds of thousands of young people just like me who participated in the campaign," she said. "We're a generation to be reckoned with."

Milstein added his own personal note, mentioning that his son, David, who was in the audience and will attend Dickinson in the fall as a member of the class of 2013, also campaigned for Obama.

"While it's impossible to characterize an entire generation, we can point to some key markers," he said. "Generation Next is the most tolerant of any generation in history; skin color and ethnicity just are not a factor for them. They are less cynical about politics and government, and we're seeing them enthusiastically donating their time and foot power."

Co-sponsors for the event were the Office of the Vice President for Enrollment and College Relations and the Office of the Dean of Students. The Clarke Forum connects students, faculty and members of the broader community with scholars, practicing professionals and activists through the use of lectures, seminars and conferences.