Young voters turned out in droves four years ago, helping Barack Obama gain the White House. This year the thrill is gone for many.
More people between the ages of 18 and 24 have registered to vote this time around; but far fewer are expected to actually vote, according to a Gallup poll.
Student activists from the SDSU College Republicans and Aztecs for Obama held a debate today on campus trying to engage students in the upcoming election.
SDSU Democrat Mariza Lockhart understands the benefit for young voters to cast their ballot next week.
“While you may not care about the president, there are things like the death penalty and proposition 30, and these things that are going to affect us here,” Lockhart said. “These decisions are going to be made whether they vote or not and they will affect them.”
But, SDSU republican student Erik Hughes feels like young voters are less enthusiastic because of the struggling economy.
“Especially hard hit people who are young, people like us, who are trying to go out and get their first job and start their career. I think that they’re not satisfied with that.”
More than 31,000 students within the California State system registered to vote this year. SDSU had the biggest voter registration turnout with more than 4,000 newly registered students through their Rock the Vote campaign.
