Will the large number of young voters in 2008 hit the polls again in 2010?

This story was reported for the San Diego News Network on March 30, 2010.

The number of under-35 voters may historically decline during nonpresidential election years, but San Diego’s young leaders say the momentum to hit the polls will hold steady this year.

And if inspiration from the San Diego Young Democrats or Republicans isn’t enough, a November ballot initiative to legalize marijuana will be, said one local professor.

“Voting on a presidential election is much more symbolic than a nonpresidential election,” said SDSU political science professor Brian Adams. “For young people, they need to get the connection between their lives and voting and many don’t. Now, if you talk about ballot initiatives, the marijuana initiative will probably make an impact this year.”

It’s been two years since a large number of young voters hit the polls, some to vote for the then-Sen. Barack Obama, while others to contest his idealistic values. Now that it’s 2010, the presidents of both the San Diego Young Democrats and San Diego Young Republicans are confident the nation’s young people will continue to exercise their right to vote.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, an estimated 16.6 million people between the ages of 18-34 voted in November 2006 compared to about 32 million in November 2008. In California, 1.1 million voters between the ages of 18-29 voted in 2006, according to nonpartisan research group CIRCLE. While in 2008, there were 1.5 million voters between the ages of 18-24 and 4.6 million voters between the ages of 25-44 in California, according to the Census.

Though stats show fewer voters appeared in 2006, San Diego County Young Democrats president Bryan Crane is confident in his group.

Crane said the Young Democrats have about 100 members, who are all active in the communities even though membership “flattened” after the 2008 elections. He said it’s the result of his organization engaging their young peers.

“We’re still going out into the communities and doing the things we’ve been talking about through 2008,” he said. “When you give people an opportunity to learn, it’s not difficult to get people involved.”

Though members continue to be involved, Crane said because of the disagreements within the Democratic Party, at large, it changes the momentum, and the local group is working on keeping the momentum that was “developed in the best of times.”

Despite any obstacles the Young Democrats may face, Crane said he is “excited” about the election year.

“The big thing we’ve been doing in the past five months is talking directly with the candidates and bringing them into our meetings to help our direct membership know them well,” he said. “We’ve done endorsements for every major race.”

On the Right side, San Diego Young Republicans president Andrew Lund said membership has doubled to 100 since President Obama has been in office and that young people “are very interested” in getting involved.

“Since President Obama was elected president in November of 2008, our membership has doubled,” he said. “Many new groups of young people are ready to get involved and make their voices heard with regard to all the legislative and political issues of the day.”

And like the Young Democrats, Lund’s organization is working on garnering young voters by making endorsements and offering incentives.

“We are also working with the San Diego County Republican Party to get involved in their precinct walking program and other get-out-the-vote efforts,” he said. “To make it more fun, we also offer incentives and have fun events to go along with our precinct walking, such as beach parties and baseball games.”

Despite the confidence Crane and Lund have with their organizations, SDSU professor Adams points out that history shows how people, not just young people, care much more about voting during presidential election years.

“A lot of people will vote just in a presidential election and not in any other election,” he said. “They do that because they think they are fulfilling their civic duty with voting in the presidential elections.”

Additionally, he noted that candidates must appeal to young voters for the nation to see action among them. He used the example of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“If you compare the turnout in the gubernatorial race in 2002 to the 2003 recall, you’ll see a big difference because Schwarzenegger was involved, because young people liked him,” he said. “This is the same with Obama — he was someone who appealed to young people. I don’t expect that there are candidates this year that will appeal to young people.”

Adams doesn’t believe any of the ballot initiatives in the June primaries will encourage the young voters to step into their polls, either.

“What’s on the ballot in June? Campaign financing, election laws… No way that’s going to make a difference,” Adams said.

Though the June primaries may see fewer voters, Adams and Crane agree that the November initiative to legalize marijuana will draw a larger crowd.

Adams said the number of voters will largely be based on the marijuana initiative and that he could see “a very large turnout from young people” because of that issue.

Crane agreed that it may make the polls more appealing for young voters.

“That’s something young people are generally supportive of and it’s definitely something we’ll put up for endorsement,” he said.

Despite the work it may take to encourage young voters to hit the polls this June, Crane said it was important to point out one fact.

“I hope people realize that as we face the June primaries without something as flashy as a presidential election or a major decision of the governor candidate, for the Democratic Party, decisions will be made in the primaries or at least, they can be made if all the voices aren’t heard.”

Hoa Quach is the political editor for the San Diego News Network.