Young people look for young leaders

WASHINGTON — Young people are looking for a change this election season — a generational change.

A poll by the Associated PressNORC Center for Public Affairs Research and MTV found that most Americans ages 15 to 34 think voting in the midterm elections gives their generation some say about how the government is run, and 79 percent of this group say leaders from their generation would do a better job running the country.

The poll found young people eager to vote for someone who shares their political views on issues like health care and immigration policy. They expressed far less excitement about voting for a candidate described as a lifelong politician.

“These older Congress people, they don’t understand the internet and they don’t know what they’re talking about,” said Greg Davis, a 29-year-old from Grandview, Ohio, who says he watched in exasperation last spring as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg easily handled what was supposed to be a Senate grilling on privacy policy.

It’s true that the current Congress is among the oldest in U.S. history. At the beginning of the 115th Congress in January 2017, the average age of House members was nearly 58. The average age of senators was nearly 62, among the oldest, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Political change is in the air in 2018. A record number of women are running. Young Americans who don’t remember a time without the internet are eligible to cast ballots.

About two-thirds of the young people in the poll say they are extremely or very excited to vote for a candidate who cares about the issues that affect them and their generation.

That could matter in the 2018 midterm elections if young people turn out to vote. If more young people turn out at the polls, it’s Democrats who are poised to benefit. Not only are young adults more likely to be Democrats, but young Democrats are also more likely than young Republicans to say they’re certain to vote, 40 percent to 27 percent.

Still, an overwhelming number share hope that the election will bring about change. For many Democrats, this interest is derived from the 2016 presidential election: 54 percent say the outcome increased their interest in the 2018 midterm elections.