The Daily examined patterns among young voters yesterday, both at Tufts and on a national level. In the wake of yesterday's election, we look at how this election has affected political engagement and awareness.
Today is a strange day in American politics.
Regardless of one's political persuasion, the seemingly endless race for the presidency and the constant news cycles that accompanied it caught the attention of even the least politically interested individuals. National voter turnout reports suggest that citizens have been highly involved in this election. Today, left with no new campaign news, students and citizens reflect on the way the 2008 presidential elections engaged them in ways other than their simple vote.
According to Tufts political science lecturer Jeffrey Berry, it is common for election seasons to increase American political awareness and activism.
"Elections educate people," Berry said. "But at the same time, voters are not exactly blank slates."
"For most Americans, I think that politics is sort of off in the background," said Michael Hawley, president of Tufts Republicans. "But, especially during the last three months of an election year, when the election dominate[s] all of the news, Americans can't help but be exposed to the questions of the time that lead to greater political awareness."
Political science lecturer Michael Goldman said that the 2008 campaign represents a new level of voter awareness as compared to past elections.
"Elections matter when people believe that they will impact them directly or indirectly," he said. "In 2000, if you took a poll and asked about the fundamental difference between Gore and Bush, it was center versus left of center."
Goldman said he believes that the perceived similarity between the candidates in 2000 left people relatively apathetic about the race, but the political developments of the last eight years have made indifference nearly impossible.
"This election is like 1968," Goldman said. "People genuinely think their vote matters, and they want to send a message with their vote."
The heightened importance of the election has caused many Tufts students, to become better versed in politics.
"I definitely read [and] watch the news more, and discuss politics with my friends more often," senior Shana Goldstein said.
Sophomore Adam Fischer credited his own political awareness to both the length of the campaign and to the messages within it.
"This campaign has been going on so long, it's hard not to be aware of it," he said.
Like many Tufts students, Fischer has made an effort to stay abreast of campaign developments.
"Although I haven't actually gotten involved in the campaign, I think it's important to stay aware of the issues," he said. "It's important to give time to such a unique election."
President of Tufts Democrats Shana Hurley, a junior, believes that the unique campaign structure employed by Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama has caused more students become politically engaged than ever before.
"We have seen a lot of people who weren't previously involved in the Tufts Democrats get involved," she said. "We had 146 signups for the Get out the Vote Weekend in New Hampshire — which is amazing — mostly of people who haven't been involved before. There is much more engagement on a field level."
Hurley said the high level of student involvement in the Obama campaign is a result of both the campaign's outreach strategies and the perceived importance of this election.
"The Obama campaign, in a way that hasn't been done since Bobby Kennedy[‘s 1968 Democratic primary campaign], has really asked students to get involved," Hurley said. "There's been an active effort to include them."
Obama's message has driven those concerned with the state of current affairs to engage in this presidential election, Hurley said. "People are worried about the world, and we're in a very challenging situation. There's excitement among people because of change, and that's why Obama's message resonated," she said.
In addition to increasing overall political awareness, this election cycle has created a change in the way already politically interested students interact with politics, said junior Jarrod Niebloom, head of the Institute for Political Citizenship, which is run by the Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service.
"Normally, the students at Tufts are more interested in doing substantive policy work than getting involved in partisan politics," he said, listing work with non-profits, community organizing and policy research as typical paths chosen by Tufts students. "But I think we've seen in this election that there is a real interest in electoral politics, particularly for the Obama campaign."
Like Hurley, Niebloom credited this shift both to the campaign itself and the urgency of the situation.
"[Students] genuinely care because whoever is elected is going to, in some way, substantively change the direction of the [country's politics]," Niebloom said. "I don't think it's just students; I think it's most of the electorate. And certainly almost [all students] at Tufts, who are educated and passionate about bread and butter issues."
Goldman added that fundamental changes in the nature of campaigning have contributed to the ability of citizens already interested in politics to participate.
"The Internet has changed everything," he said, citing the role that online campaign ads, bloggers, and candidate's Web sites have played in the election.
He added that the Obama campaign's fundraising structure has encouraged additional participation, as the ease of contributing small sums has given more people a financial stake in the campaign.
Hawley, however, was more skeptical about the future impact of the Internet on campaigning. "You certainly can be more politically aware if you choose to than you were … 50 years ago, but whether or not Americans will choose to because they have these tools at their disposal — I think it's too early to tell," he said.
Today, the critical question is whether this increased political engagement can be sustained until the next cycle. Berry expects a dip following the election.
"It always drops off as elections are such a feverish period, but there [are] always more voters that come in and become engaged," he said.
"I think it probably drops pretty fast, especially with an election of this length," Hawley said. "The three months between election day and inauguration are politically uneventful, which makes it easier for people to tune out."
Hurley, however, is more optimistic.
"The youth vote surge didn't start in 2008, it started in 2004 as a response, not to Obama, but to [Sen.] John Kerry [D-Mass.]," she said. "It continued in 2006 with the midterm elections," she said. "The increase in youth turnout has not been a response to Obama, it's been a response to George Bush … If you're our age, you're thinking about the kind of world you're inheriting, and it's pretty scary right now."
Goldman said the concerns that drove people to worry about politics during the elections will keep them engaged afterwards. But, he added, the current problems with the economy and foreign policy might drive people away. "Our problems are not short-term issues, and Americans aren't used to that," he said.
Niebloom said he hopes that the next months and years will see a continuation of high political engagement.
"It's one thing to get someone elected, but I think the greater question is, ‘what are they going to accomplish once they get into office?'" he said. "Let's see students take this interest in politics that has come because of a campaign and carry it into engagement in the political sphere."
