By Brian Bohl
When it comes to political participation among young voters in the United States, apathy may be lower than originally thought.Almost 88 percent of students attending four-year universities throughout the country registered to vote in the 2004 presidential election, according to a survey released during the American Political Science Association’s annual meeting three weeks ago.The survey, conducted by Georgetown University assistant professor Michael Hanmer and University of Rochester political scientist Richard Niemi, supported the research of other studies that claim young people are going to the polls more frequently than in the past decade. But both authors also said in their paper that those numbers might have been inflated by students inaccurately claiming they were registered to vote.Among the youth vote, comprised of 18-29 year-olds, national turnout was 47 percent in 2004, up nine percentage points from 2000. New York was 31st in that category in a state-by-state breakdown of the demographic. Since presidential elections historically have a higher turnout than mid-terms, such as 2006, those figures are in danger of falling precipitously, according to figures compiled by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. That sentiment was also expressed by some of the University’s faculty.”There is likely to be a drop-off given that in off years turnout is usually a good 10 or 12 percent lower than in presidential election years,” said Rosanna Perotti, a political science professor. “Nobody can tell what turnout will be like, but I would venture that the expected downturn will be offset by anger on the part of young voters and other Americans.”Some University students conceded that young voters might not be as active this November as in 2004, but also said they will still get involved with campaigning and registration. Among the prominent New York elections expected to generate interest are the races for governor, attorney general, senate and the House of Representatives. “I have a feeling this year will be more of a lull, though I think the more important race is the Dave Mejias-Peter King race,” said sophomore Nick Bond, president of the Hofstra Democrats. The race he referenced was the House race between King, the Republican incumbent, and Mejias, the Democratic challenger who currently serves as a Nassau County legislator. Bond, who took over the position from 2006 alumnus Doug Thomas, said that campus political activism might be down for campus Democrats, but not necessarily because it is just a mid-term election. The East Islip native said there is some reason for optimism, adding that he expects roughly 100 University students will possibly help Mejias in his election bid. “This is transition year, I’m working to get the connections Thomas had,” he said. “My goal is that when I leave here, I want the campus to be a force for Long Island politics.” The College Republicans also said they would be active in the local elections, citing the gubernatorial race of John Faso against heavily favored Democrat Eliot Spitzer and John Spenser’s campaign for Senate against Hillary Clinton as two candidates their members will support. While the large volume of commuters can make on-campus activism more difficult, club officials said they were seeing more freshmen express an interest in getting involved. “I would say there’s been a greater freshmen interest, we have about 20 so far,” said Kathleen Hunker, president of the University’s College Republicans. “We’re having representatives from Faso and Spenser’s campaigns come to talk to us about getting involved.” Hunker, a senior political science major, said turnout is usually higher in presidential elections because many New York Republicans feel they can have more of a voice. Since the Electoral College determines the outcome of the national election, they can help make a difference in potential swing-states instead of working against low poll numbers for many of the state’s conservative candidates. “In presidential years, there is a greater chance for participation because students from other states can campaign back home too instead of just locally,” Hunker said. “In 2004, there was definitely more attention paid to the election, because
jump it affected every student.” While numbers in surveys and studies may indicate a healthy percentage of the total electorate is actually voting, one University professor said the data could be potentially skewed. Also, since the college-educated vote more frequently than other young people, Hanmer and Niemi’s study does not offer a thorough assessment of youth voting trends. “Polls always have a problem with people wanting to provide what is known as the ‘socially acceptable’ answer–where the alternative answer is at least somewhat embarrassing,” said Dr. Mark Landis, chairman of the political science department. “So, when 88 percent of college students claim to be registered to vote, I have my doubts. “Also, of course, [there are] two very different groups. One is students attending four-year universities, and the second group is young people aged 18-29. The latter includes at least some students still in high school, community college students, young people in various kinds of trade schools, and young people already working full-time.”

Graph shows decline in young voter participation