(Super) Early Anecdotal Evidence on Student Turnout is Encouraging

Rock the Vote presents some encouraging, if VERY preliminary, and purely anecdotal evidence, that youth turnout is going to be higher this year than in 2004:

Washington, D.C. – Reports from youth-dense precincts in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida, and Nevada indicate that voter turnout among 18-29 year-olds has already surpassed 2004 levels. With the exception of the University of Nevada which is just 49 votes shy as of 4:00 pm. Here are the numbers:

Drexel University (Philadelphia)
2008(as of 1pm): 500 votes cast
2004 total: 425 votes cast

Virginia Tech (Blacksburg)
2008 (as of 3pm): 2,465 votes cast
2004 total: 2,069 votes cast

Florida State University (Tallahassee)
2008 (as of 3pm): 721 votes cast
2004 total: 625 votes cast

University of Nevada, Las Vegas
2008 (as of 4pm): 811
2004: 860

Before you start jumping for joy or writing ledes about increased youth turnout, keep this in mind:

• This is still very preliminary evidence
• This is limited to only 4 voting locations
• This is limited to college students, who make up only 22% (pdf) of all eligible young voters this year.
• College students vote at much higher rates than non-college youth, who make up a larger portion of the electorate.

So with those enormous caveats in mind, this is encouraging.