Well, that's the last time I vote.

Youth Vote Surges in 2004: The Real Numbers
Young Voters Surpass Previous Records and Match
Significantly Higher Voter Turnout
For Immediate Release:
November 4, 2004

Contact: Devon Bates
401-867-3936
dbates@compact.org

Major media mistakenly reported a disappointing 10% young voter turnout. However, more than half of eligible voters under 30 came out this year, making up 18% of the overall increased voter participation, and a 9.3% increase in youth turnout since the last election.

According to information provided by CIRCLE, this is a sharp rise from 42.3% in 2000 to 51.6% this year, which is still 4% higher than the previous peak of 47.9% in 1992. “Battleground” states saw an even higher youth turnout in 2004 than the rest of the country with 64%. At least 20.9 million young Americans voted, 4.6 million more than in 2000, and that figure is likely to grow even higher as more ballots are counted.

“This means our efforts are beginning to pay off,” said Campus Compact Executive Director Elizabeth Hollander. “Our college presidents advocate for civic learning and democratic participation by college students and here is evidence that our work is showing results.”

This year, Campus Compact partnered with the New Voters Project to mobilize presidents and campuses to encourage student voter participation. Campus Compact's Raise Your Voice campaign supported voter mobilization and education projects. Oklahoma Campus Compact held a Voter Registration Contest that registered almost 4,000 new voters on 22 campuses in 2 days.

“Contrary to what's been said about young folks, this election is another piece of evidence that youth and students are more involved in community and public issues,” said Abby Kiesa, National Student Organizer for Raise Your Voice. “But this is only the beginning of the impact that this generation is having on our country, as students continue to speak up and act on the issues they care about.”

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