Youth Interest in Politics on the Rise

The Hill is running a drably titled but informative piece on youth voting that you should check out today. Good historical perspective on where the narrative that “young people don’t vote” originates as well:

Don’t trust anyone over 30” was the mantra of political activists in the ’60s and early ’70s. We took to the streets demanding that the voting age be lowered to 18. President Richard Nixon, of all people, supported that movement, saying we were better educated, better informed and more qualified to vote than “many of the older people.” He signed the constitutional amendment lowering the voting age to 18 in 1971. A year later George McGovern’s campaign manager, a youthful Gary Hart, was predicting that 25 million new voters would sweep Nixon out of the White House and end the Vietnam war. Ultimately, Nixon was forced from office and the war did end, but not because of those young voters. Only half of 18- to 24-year-olds voted in 1972. The troops had come home and there was little interest in the two old white guys running for president.

This is the high water mark we’re talking about.