3 Campaign Issues Most Important to College-Aged Voters

Yesterday we discussed how the under-30 voters could play their most influential role ever in the election of our next president. If all 44 million eligible voters in this Gen-X/Gen-Y demographic turned out to the polls, they would impact 25 percent of the overall vote. Right now it’s anticipated that 86 percent of these voters will show up on election day.

What is it that these young, and some first-time voters, are interested in hearing from the candidates? For this age group, their priorities are:
1. Economy
2. Iraq War
3. Health Care
“For us, that’s a big thing because we’re starting our careers and we need jobs,” said Sam Szynskie, a 21-year-old senior at Lawrence University.
It can be a worrisome time for new college graduates, as they enter the work force saddled with mountains of student loan debt, likely credit card debt, and a desire to put the past four or five years of hard work into lucrative practice. With the economy sliding further down the spiral everyday, and large companies continuing to slash jobs, students are paying attention to the economic plans of our next leader and making sure there is something in it for them.
The under-30 voter is also more concerned with the environment, finding more Earth-friendly energy solutions and reducing our dependency on foreign oil.