Young apathy a trend at polls

More young people are voting nationally, but not in Florida, a new study says.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published July 23, 2007

FORT LAUDERDALE - Turnout of young Florida voters was among the worst in the nation last year - bucking a national trend that shows 18- to 29-year-olds are taking an increased interest in voting, a recent study shows.

In Florida, 40,000 fewer young people went to the polls in 2006 than in 2002, according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at the University of Maryland. Only Texas, Utah and West Virginia had lower turnout.

The researchers couldn't explain why Florida and the other states defied the national trend. Political scientists said candidates might focus too heavily on issues that resonate with older voters, such as Social Security and Medicare.

The study examined turnout in 2002 and 2006, midterm election years off the presidential election cycle. The researchers found that Florida's 18- to 29-year-olds turned out in slightly higher numbers than the national average in 2002. But turnout among young Floridians in 2006 dropped five percentage points to 18 percent, compared to about 25 percent nationally.

The study showed the states with the highest young voter turnout in 2006 were Minnesota, 43 percent; Wisconsin, 40 percent; and South Dakota, 39 percent.

Stephanie Sawchuk, 25, of Deerfield Beach said she voted for president in 2004 but shuns races where she knows little about the candidates.

She summed up youthful apathy about politics this way: "Some people don't think it's very important."

[Last modified July 22, 2007, 22:36:24]