Young Voters: Conservatives Welcome You

Last week a Gallup Poll came out indicating that young voters under the age of 30 are less inclined to vote this year while noting that those intending to vote in 2010 still favor liberal “ideals.” Does this present an opportunity for conservatives to reach out to young voters? I certainly think so. But in proving my point we need to take a look at how we got into this situation.

I think that we can all agree that in the last election most young voters indentified themselves as Democrats rather than Republicans. Has this always been the case as is often presented? No, not exactly, dating back only to 2004 the large gap among younger voters affiliated with either Party was virtually non-existent.

So, what has happened here? I believe that the true determinant of what motivates young individuals lies within the ideas being articulated by both the conservative and liberal movements within the Party structure. Young voters didn’t identify with conservative principles last election not because they didn’t like what conservatives had to say, but instead because conservatives weren’t saying anything. You have to go back nearly 30 years to find numbers as low as they were in 2008 among young voters who identified themselves as conservatives.

Sadly, as we all know, young voters aren’t going to show up in large numbers to vote because they have feel an obligation to do so, they just need to be convinced and be able to identify with the message being presented. No matter what Party is in power, there is a constant in most young people’s lives that I know. That being the extreme value that they place on independence and the preservation of individual choice. Conservatives just need to do a better job of linking these personal preferences to the voting booth.

Yes, times have changed in the last year as it relates to individual’s opinions on government, but this alone isn’t enough. Young people make up the future of our country and instilling these beliefs within them now and not making them feel betrayed is vital to the future of the conservative movement. Currently there exists a ripe opportunity for conservatives to reach out to young voters and make them feel welcomed into our movement, we just need to engage them.

We at American Majority understand this and have undertaken a mission to make certain that the principles of what it exactly means to be a “conservative” are being articulated and implemented across the country. We believe that this message is one that young voters can identify with, particularly those that don’t want a government that works against their personal beliefs.

So I have a message to all my friends and colleagues and young voters throughout the country: Attend one of our several trainings being offered in your community, you won’t be disappointed, heck, dare I say, afterward you might even consider running for a local office…