Pollsters discuss upcoming midterm elections, youth voting trends

Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, director of the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life, and David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, shared insights on current trends in youth voting at a panel entitled “The Midterm Elections and the Youth Vote" on Sept. 26 in the Alumnae Lounge.

Tufts Democrats, Tufts Republicans, Tufts Cooperation and Innovation in Citizenship (CIVIC) and JumboVote co-hosted the event with Tisch College as part of a series aiming to galvanize the Tufts student body for the midterm elections, according to George Behrakis, president of the Tufts Republicans. He also moderated the conversation.

Behrakis, a junior, began by asking about youth voting trends. Kawashima-Ginsberg responded that many political organizations, especially those that are Democratic or non-partisan, have seen an uptick in youth voting, and are consequently investing more in engaging young voters.

Kawashima-Ginsberg went on to suggest ways to make sure young people are showing up to the polls, including through the implementation of automatic mechanisms for voter registration.

Behrakis then asked if there were issues that particularly inspired young people, noting the youth-led response to the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Kawashima-Ginsberg noted economic issues were especially important for young people with variations across racial groups.

“What’s important varies by people’s background," Kawashima-Ginsberg said. "For Hispanics, immigration was a top issue; for Asian-Americans it was education; for [African-Americans] it was race relations.”

Young people are not only catalyzed by the issues, but the candidates themselves, Kawashima-Ginsberg said, noting that young liberals in particular have been energized by minority candidates.

“I think it’s about being able to listen and reflect the priorities that actually come in an authentic way from young people, who often feel trivialized in political debate,” Kawashima-Ginsberg said.

While pull factors this election cycle may be bringing young people to the ballot box, the current political system is still not entirely conducive to engagement, according to both Kawashima-Ginsberg and Paleologos. They noted that young voters feel alienated by the polarization between political parties. Paleologos cited a survey statistic showing that 60 percent of non-voters felt that neither major political party aligned with their views and that a third party should be introduced to American politics.

Izzy Essman, a first-year who attended the discussion, said she thought Tufts political groups chose rightly to focus on the youth vote at this event.

“I’m excited to see how these groups continue their voter outreach," Essman said. "I would love to see them do more educational programming for voters who aren’t sure what the issues are or who they support. Making sure young people understand why they vote the way they do is just as important as getting them to vote."

In the remaining weeks before the midterm elections, the Tufts Democrats and Tufts Republicans, working again with CIVIC and JumboVote, plan to host a columnist from The Boston Globe to talk about the role of mass media in politics, as well as Beth Myers (J '79), who served as both Mitt Romney’s chief of staff during his governorship and his campaign manager during the 2008 campaign, according to Behrakis.