FEATURED ARTICLE

How Political Leaders Can Reach Young Voters during the Mid-Term Elections

In the next few months, congressional and senate leaders throughout the entire country are going to be in the beginning stages of key political races in cities and states all across the nation for the Mid-Term Elections in November of 2010. Although many senators and congressional leaders will probably succeed at holding their seats, there will be several battles in key areas throughout the country between Democrats and Republicans.

Due to President Obama’s huge success with young voters in the Presidential Election back in November of 2008, there is a great chance that many congressional and senate leaders will be looking for this same type of impact from young voters in the upcoming 2010 Mid-Term Elections. Based on my observations of the younger demographic over the past few years, in order to duplicate success with young voters, there are seven key things that these congressional and senate leaders must do in order to win over and inspire this younger demographic in the 2010 Mid-Term Elections like President Obama did in the 2008 Presidential Election.

Understand that Young Voters Have Just As Much Power Now As They Did in 2008

In 2008 about 23 million young people, an increase of 3.4 million over 2004, accounted for almost two-thirds of the overall 5.4 million increase in voter turnout according to the Huffington Post. In 2010, not only will you have a good portion of this same demographic of people engaged with the political process, but there will be more young men and women that were not able to vote in 2008 that are now able to vote in 2010, which means this demographic voting power will likely be even stronger in the 2010 Mid-Term Elections.

Develop Trust with Young Voters

Although President Obama was effective at reestablishing the trust between politicians and young voters, the reality is that many young men and women still have a negative perception of political leaders. And, unlike past generations, the one thing that can destroy a politician' s success with this younger demographic is to be seen as someone who lacks integrity and trustworthiness. So, whatever political party a congressional or senate leader represents, it’s not only extremely important to develop trust with the younger demographic, but it’s extremely important to keep that trust as well.

Provide a New Vision of Change

In the 2008 Presidential Election, one of the key things that President Obama did very well with the younger demographic was to create a powerful vision of change that was fresh, unique, inspiring, and appealing to young men and women in America. The key thing for political leaders to understand about this younger demographic in the upcoming 2010 Mid-Term Elections is that a message of change will only be powerful if it’s a fresh new vision that consists of solutions and strategies that really resonate with the men and women of the younger demographic.

Connect with Young People

One of the key reasons why President Obama was able to impact younger voters in the 2008 Presidential Elections was because he was able to connect with them very effectively. In essence, President Obama did not just speak to young voters, but he visited their student governments, built positive relationships, and really connected with them in a favorable manner. For political leaders that desire to succeed with this younger demographic in the upcoming 2010 Mid-Term Elections, it’s not only essential for these leaders to speak to young voters, but it’s crucial that they connect with young voters as well on a personal level.

Speak to the Issues of Young Voters

Before the primary elections even began a couple of years ago, I knew that President Obama would be the candidate that would resonate with young voters the most if he decided to run for office. Ironically, this insight was not based on his personality, but it was based on his political stance on a variety of different issues. In essence, although President Obama was cool, personable, and favorable in the eyes of young voters, it was his political beliefs that really allowed him to win the hearts of the young voters in America. In the upcoming 2010 Mid-Term Elections, not only is it essential that political leaders connect with young voters, but it’s vitally important that they speak to the issues that really concern young voters the most right now in America.

Empower and Inspire the People

Anyone that followed the 2008 Presidential Elections knows that President Obama was not just an amazing speaker, but he was highly effective at moving crowds and inspiring them into action as a speaker. His strong ability to inspire and empower audiences through his powerful speeches not only helped him win the Presidential Election, but it helped him separate himself from other politicians as well. This inspirational and empowering skill set as a speaker is not only a positive attribute for any political leader to possess, but it’s literally a key skill set that can really help any political leader become more effective at reaching the younger demographic, because studies have shown that many young men and women are drawn to leaders who are able to effectively inspire and empower them for success! So, if political leaders want to be effective in the 2010 Mid-Term Elections with young voters, they must be able to effectively inspire and empower them!

Maximize Technology Use

Political experts suggest that President Obama was effective with young voters during the 2008 Presidential Election because he was the most tech savvy candidate with his campaign. Although I agree that President Obama did use technology effectively in the 2008 General Election, I do not believe that is the primary reason he was able to win the election, because I thought other presidential candidates used technology effectively as well. However, the one thing we can learn from the 2008 Presidential Election is that the effective use of technology is a requirement in the 21st Century, and it is a valuable tool to reach and engage the younger demographic.

Although there will be so many other factors that can impact the influence of young voters in the upcoming 2010 Mid-Term Elections, these are seven key things that any potential candidate must possess in order to effectively reach the younger demographic like President Obama!