Making a difference
Voters under 30 provided crucial edge in Obama win, study says
Politico reports that President Obama's edge with young voters made a crucial difference in the outcome of the presidential election, according to an analysis released Wednesday.
Voters under 30 provided Obama the winning difference in the battleground states of Virginia, Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania, according to the report by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University.
In the video above, University of Houston broadcasting major Monica Grimaldo scouted out her Heights neighborhood to get some young voters' thoughts on the election.
If Gov. Mitt Romney had won half of the youth vote in those states, he would be the president-elect, the study says. Obama won at least 61 percent of the youth vote in those four states.
While pollsters were predicting that the percentage of young people voting in the 2012 presidential election would be less than in 2008, people age 18 to 29 made up 19 percent of voters in this election cycle, up 1 percentage point from 2008, according to National Exit Poll data.
Obama won this age group with 60 percent support, versus 37 percent for Romney.
Obama's edge was smaller than his 66 percent-31 percent win over John McCain in 2008, but is still the highest any Democratic presidential candidate has scored in 30 years among 18- to 29 year-olds.
In the video above, University of Houston broadcasting major Monica Grimaldo scouted out her Heights neighborhood to get some young voters' thoughts on the election. While they didn't reveal who they voted for, the young voters Grimaldo talked to were excited about the possibility that their votes can make a difference.
