When it comes to turning out young people in November’s midterm elections, I am in general agreement with Ed Kilgore that mechanics are more important than message. The best way to get young people to vote is to make sure you contact them and ask them very directly to vote. Then you need to follow up and follow up again. Above all, people need to know that an election is taking place and when and how they can vote in it.
But there is another way to get young people to vote, and that is to get them talking to each other about politics, which isn’t something they are overly inclined to do. There are a variety of issues that could be used to appeal to young people. Marijuana decriminalization is one promising issue. Making college more affordable is another one. Talking about the affordability of housing is something young adults will relate to. Too many of them are stuck living with their parents well into their twenties. Raising the federal minimum wage is already on the table.
In the negative campaigning category, talking about Republican intolerance reminds young people why they don’t like Republicans, but I think it’s positive campaigning that focuses sharply on the difficulties young adults are facing that will do the most to get them talking among themselves about getting out to vote.
