POLL: Voter Turnout Reveals Millennials Not Engaged

Young people like to talk the talk about U.S. politics, but if this year's Texas primary is any indication, they certainly don't walk the walk on Election Day.

In the March primary, just 11 percent of Texas Republicans were under the age of 40.  The group only made up 23 percent of Democratic voters.

"What we see is people saying, 'Oh I'm engaged. I'm writing about it on Facebook, Instagram or social media,' and not recognizing or maybe not appreciating that's all well and fine, but if you don't actually show up to vote, none of that actually matters," says Jason Dorsey, co-founder of The Center for Generational Kinetics.

So what will it take to get millennials to the ballot box?

"Getting them to all go together as a group definitely can encourage more turnout," says Dorsey.  "Employers allowing them to go during the workday to vote, I think is really powerful.  We know millennials don't like to wait in line, so going at times when there are less lines certainly seems to work."

Dorsey believes the November midterm elections will give us a better indication whether millennials are engaged or not.

"Do we see this wave of people showing up?  Do we see more engagement?  Do we see donations?  Not just voting, but are they willing to give their own money given this is a generation that has tremendous amount of student loan debt, and has suffered from wage stagnation and increasing housing costs."


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