Joy Pavelski, The Examiner
2008-07-28 07:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

BALTIMORE -

Young adults who traditionally have low voter registration and turnout rates are registering in droves for the November elections in Maryland and Virginia.

“This isn’t a state- or region-specific phenomenon. It’s nationwide,” said John Samples, director of think tank Cato Institute’s Center for Representative Government.

“[But] registration doesn’t translate into voting, necessarily.”

Voter registrations since January for those ages 18 to 25 nearly match those of voters older than 25, according to recent data from elections boards.

D.C.’s difference is less notable — registrations have increased, but not dramatically.

In Maryland, young voters comprise 46 percent of the state’s 131,428 registrants since January.

District registrants since January are 5,095 for ages 18 to 24 and 11,453 for older adults.

Of the 148,389 voter registrations in Virginia during the same time frame, 45 percent come from adults ages 18 to 25.

Experts attributed the spike primarily to enthusiasm surrounding Democrat Barack Obama’s presidential candidacy.

Obama, a senator from Illinois, represents generational change, Samples said.

“It’s really an ongoing phenomenon that we won’t understand fully until it’s over,” said John Sides, assistant professor of political science at George Washington University.

“[Obama] has clearly targeted and tried to mobilize young people.”

Young people vote less, because they move often and are less motivated by issues such as tax rates and education until they establish themselves and start families, experts said.

In recent years, young people typically have voted for the Democratic ticket, because the party’s position on issues such as gay rights and the environment has resonated with them, Sides said.

Since the D.C. region leans heavily Democratic, it’s not surprising younger voters do too, said Daniel Head, D.C. Young Republicans’ communications director.

And Obama’s campaign has used new media such as Facebook.com and podcasting effectively, said Jim McBride, coordinator for the region’s Generation Obama.

“You don’t have to go to a campaign office,” McBride said.

“You can download your own materials.”