OK, so here's a thought I had over the weekend about US politics...
I wonder if the increased youth voter turnout in 2020 is an unacknowledged reason people are panicking over the fact that young people don't like Joe Biden much and don't like the way US support for Israel has enabled a far right government to perpetrate horrors on civilians in Gaza.
Realistically... well, maybe the game has totally changed but I imagine that its more likely that young people will stay home in 2024 than that a bunch of young Biden voters will vote for Donald Trump (or an unlikely non-Trump R candidate).
People are really freaking out about it though, which feels newish.
@BruceMirken Oh yeah, absolutely- but that worry is only possible in a context where for once they didn't.
I think even in a vacuum there's a decent chance young voters would revert to the mean and stay home. I'd want to see a few election cycles of increased participation before I started expecting any consistently increased turnout.
But even a modest turnout boost one time looks, to me at least, like it's increased mainstream concern about their issues and what motivates them.
Evan Urquhart 🏳️⚧️
Bruce Mirken
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