In the 2012 presidential election, young voters were a mighty force keeping a Republican out of the White House.
An analysis of the 2012 race by the Pew Research Center revealed that if the legal voting age were 30 in Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania and Virginia, then Romney would have won an Electoral College landslide.
Instead, voters 18 to 29 years old in those states favored President Obama by more than 60 percent.
A research study conducted by a freshman honors class at the University of Kentucky revealed that values were the key determinant for young voters and that they were turned off by newspaper headlines obsessed with conflict and horse-race factors, such as polls and fundraising totals.
Based on this research, we have developed some advice for both candidates trying to appeal to young voters and to journalists wanting to engage young readers during the 2014 U.S. Senate race.
For Kentucky’s next big election, we encourage U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell and his Democratic opponent, whether that is Hollywood’s Ashley Judd or not, to campaign based on their values.
A newspaper that truly wants to get the attention of young voters should stop the negative, problem-focused journalism and instead focus on issues and possible solutions.
The next time someone discounts young voters, just remember they made the difference that kept Obama in the White House and left Romney out.
Russell Howard,
Nicholasville
