Presidential Candidates Continue to Miss the Mark with Young Voters, Says William Paterson University Professor --Voters ages 18-29 hold largest share of U.S. electorate since Baby Boom, but Clinton and Trump have ‘abandoned’ them, expert says Young voters can wield historic leverage in the 2016 election, but both the Trump and Clinton campaigns are nevertheless failing them, according to Christine Kelly, professor of political science at William Paterson University in New Jersey and an expert in youth voting and political engagement. “This is an abandoned generation…our most precarious generation since the Great Depression,” Kelly says. “They teeter on the edge of poverty as a way of life, and face an array of ominous threats not conceivable in the Depression Era. Politics of rage and politics as usual simply miss their mark.” There are currently 49 million eligible U.S. voters ages 18 to 29, compared to 45 million eligible U.S. voters aged 65 and older. The youth vote holds the largest share of the electorate since the Baby Boom. Kelly is surprised that neither campaign has been hyper-focused on policies and strategies to win over younger voters, as such higher education costs, student loan forgiveness, job creation, criminal justice reform and climate change. “Hillary Clinton did propose free community college educations, but she has an uncanny knack for patronizing and alienating young people,” Kelly explains. She notes how Clinton, in responding to a young voter’s question, said his generation is comprised of inexperienced first-time voters who don’t understand the media landscape. Meanwhile, Kelly says, Donald Trump spreads a rhetoric of hate which fundamentally contradicts the social and political tolerance that survey after survey find to be a salient attribute of this generation. While hate as a political strategy may give a temporary sense of power to youth frustrated with the status quo, polls show it appeals to a tiny fraction of the overall youth population. “Donald Trump’s rise is less the result of political resonance, and more the result of his pop-culture value,” Kelly says. “And for young voters, he has little appeal on either count.” Kelly is director of William Paterson University’s chapter of the American Democracy Project, a national project of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities that seeks to raise the civic and political participation levels of young people. ----------- To set up an interview, contact Maria Daniels, William Paterson University Marketing & Public Relations. 973.720.2949 danielsm11@wpunj.edu 10/09/16
