As historic election concludes, focus turns to voter turnout

With the final presidential debate over and done with, the election for the next president of the United States has dwindled down to a matter of days. The American public’s attention towards each of these candidates will certainly intensify in these important days leading up to the election.

Looking back, it is hard to believe that the campaigns of Barack Obama and John McCain began way back in February and March 2007, respectively. Along the way there have been key moments which will be closely studied in the coming months and years.

From the beginning of the primaries there were surprises from both parties. The candidacies of the leading Democratic candidates, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, made history from the very beginning. Obama’s surprise defeat of Clinton in the Iowa caucuses and highly contested finish the Democratic Party’s nomination were some of the more memorable moments for the Democrats.

The Republicans had their share of historic moments and surprises as well. Mike Huckabee’s shocking win in the Iowa primaries set the tone. This was followed by Rudy Giuliani’s risky strategy of focusing on winning Florida.

One of the most historic moments was Super Duper Tuesday when the largest number of states ever to hold a caucus or a primary simultaneously took place on the same day.

But there have been electrifying moments in the past three months alone that one could have never been anticipated at the beginning of Obama’s or McCain’s campaigns.

Barack Obama’s acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention set the record for the most watched convention speech of all time, with 38.4 million viewers. That was until John McCain made his speech one week later, drawing 38.9 million viewers. In between both, Sarah Palin made her speech with 37 million people tuned in.

57 million people watched the first presidential debate while the second debate between Obama and McCain had 63 million viewers.

The vice presidential debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin drew 69.9 million viewers, making it the most watched debate since 1992’s presidential debate between Bill Clinton, Ross Perot, and George Bush.

There has been an increase of interest in this election due to a variety of factors. Exciting candidates, lack of an incumbent, and the desire for change are among the top reasons. With the record numbers that turned out in the primaries and caucuses along with the record breaking television ratings of the conventions and the debates, voter turnout on Election Day will likely break records. According to experts 125 – 200 million people are expected to vote this fall.

One of the biggest factors in the anticipated voter turnout increase will be the youth vote. Making up nearly one-fifth of the electorate, voters under 30 will be under close scrutiny on whether they show up to the polls on November 4. With the viral use of the internet and technology, largely due to the candidacy of Barack Obama, youth voters have related to this year’s election more than in previous years. Although only 47 percent of 18-to-24-year-olds cast a vote in 2004, as opposed to 66 percent of those 25 and older, a substantial increase in youth voter turnout will signify yet another historical landmark that will be studied years after this election concludes.

These are all good signs that reveal that people are interested and engaged in this important political process. But it is extremely important that no matter what the outcome of the election is, youth voters must stay engaged in the political process, not only for the betterment of themselves, but for the country at large.

Explore posts in the same categories: Political Coverage

Tags: Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Democratic Party, DNC, Election Day, George Bush, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Republican Party, Ross Perot, Rudy Giuliani, Sarah Palin

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