tinyurl.com/4vkns -> www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/11/02/politics2059EST0779.DTL
SFGate's Politics page (11-02) 21:39 PST WASHINGTON (AP) -- This was not the breakout year for young voters that some had anticipated . Fewer than one in 10 voters Tuesday were 18 to 24, about the same proport ion of the electorate as in 2000, exit polls indicated. Still, with vote r turnout expected to be higher overall, more young people appeared to h ave come out. A vigorous push on college campuses by both parties and national mobiliza tion drives had raised expectations that 2004 would be the year of the y outh vote. Exit polls indicated that young people who did vote were strongly support ing Democrat John Kerry over President Bush, while they were evenly spli t between Bush and Democrat Al Gore four years ago. The exit polls were conducted for The Associated Press by Edison Media Re search and Mitofsky International. First-time voters made up about 10 percent of the electorate, about the s ame as in 2000, and they favored Kerry. The economy and moral values were the top issues for young voters, with a bout one-fifth of those surveyed choosing each. Young people concerned a bout moral values strongly supported Bush, while those interested in the economy and jobs chose Kerry. Iraq and terrorism were next on the list -- with Kerry winning the Iraq v ote and Bush taking the terrorism group. "It's definitely the war," said Eliana Deutsch, 20, of San Diego, explain ing why she came out. "People see these soldiers who are 18 and don't ha ve an education, and they're over there dying. It's really sad that that (the military) is their best option." Sarah White, 18, a North Palm Beach high school student in Florida who wa s excited about voting for the first time, went for Bush, saying, "I agr ee with a lot of what he stands for." Jay Strell, a spokesman for Rock the Vote, a campaign targeting 18- to 25 -year-olds, said the voter turnout among young people was impressive thi s year. "The issues at stake in this election -- the war in Iraq, the prospect, h owever remote, of a draft, the economy -- are all reasons more young peo ple came out to vote this election, " he said. "They are clearly being m ore impacted by the issues at stake in this election."
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