New strategies, new technologies help sway "youth vote"
Katie Connolly
Issue date: 3/21/07 Section: Features
Young people's desire for authenticity in their Presidential candidates was a theme for both strategists. But Murphy warned candidates not to get cute about it, predicting that campaigns will try to fabricate genuineness. Murphy says this "new improved fake authenticity" will be Senator Clinton's downfall.
"She sounds like a polling questionnaire," he said regarding Clinton's use of words and phrases sanctioned by focus groups.
Technology also provides new avenues for fundraising. Trippi predicts that this cycle will see a candidate break the half a billion dollar mark, and it will likely be precipitated by a young person, fielding donations on a website. There is no other technology or forum, Trippi contends, that allows five million Americans to get up one morning and decide to donate $10 to a campaign.
The excitement over technology aside, both men agreed that messages remain central. New strategies can help reach young voters, but the key strategic question, according the Murphy, is still "what are you going to say?"
"The old fundamentals are what wins the campaign," said Murphy. Max Anderson (MPA1) worked with Professor David King, Lecturer in Public Policy, and the IOP on analyzing the data collected by the Youth Voters Survey. After reading over 1200 pages of interview transcripts, Anderson was struck by the disparity in campaigners' use of the websites like Facebook and MySpace.
Anderson says that those campaigns that used these resources effectively and integrated young people into their campaigns truly benefited. Some campaigns have even employed full time staff to work on MySpace and Facebook for their candidates. But Anderson is amazed that many politicos either remain unaware of the sites, or are steering clear out of fear.
Anderson hopes that the survey findings will prompt campaign directors to stop looking at college-aged voters as volunteers, and start viewing them as voters. Sarah Rasmussen (MPP2), who attended the conference, agrees.
"Simply knowing that young voters can provide a margin of victory should get campaign managers or field directors to put a lot more resources into courting these voters," Rasmussen said.
Patrick McCreesh (MPP2) also attended the conference. While he enjoyed the presentations, he's concerned that the IOP may have been "preaching to the choir." He wants to make sure the message reaches a broader audience.
"It's all about follow-up," McCreesh said. "How will the IOP continue to hit people with information as it comes out and continue to keep this issue on the radar?"
IOP Director, Governor Jeanne Shaheen, thinks that campaigns interested in winning in 2008 must make young voters a priority.
"Our information offers numerous different strategies and tactics that each could be used to help court younger voters successfully. We hope 2008 political campaigns are listening," Shaheen said.
"She sounds like a polling questionnaire," he said regarding Clinton's use of words and phrases sanctioned by focus groups.
Technology also provides new avenues for fundraising. Trippi predicts that this cycle will see a candidate break the half a billion dollar mark, and it will likely be precipitated by a young person, fielding donations on a website. There is no other technology or forum, Trippi contends, that allows five million Americans to get up one morning and decide to donate $10 to a campaign.
The excitement over technology aside, both men agreed that messages remain central. New strategies can help reach young voters, but the key strategic question, according the Murphy, is still "what are you going to say?"
"The old fundamentals are what wins the campaign," said Murphy. Max Anderson (MPA1) worked with Professor David King, Lecturer in Public Policy, and the IOP on analyzing the data collected by the Youth Voters Survey. After reading over 1200 pages of interview transcripts, Anderson was struck by the disparity in campaigners' use of the websites like Facebook and MySpace.
Anderson says that those campaigns that used these resources effectively and integrated young people into their campaigns truly benefited. Some campaigns have even employed full time staff to work on MySpace and Facebook for their candidates. But Anderson is amazed that many politicos either remain unaware of the sites, or are steering clear out of fear.
Anderson hopes that the survey findings will prompt campaign directors to stop looking at college-aged voters as volunteers, and start viewing them as voters. Sarah Rasmussen (MPP2), who attended the conference, agrees.
"Simply knowing that young voters can provide a margin of victory should get campaign managers or field directors to put a lot more resources into courting these voters," Rasmussen said.
Patrick McCreesh (MPP2) also attended the conference. While he enjoyed the presentations, he's concerned that the IOP may have been "preaching to the choir." He wants to make sure the message reaches a broader audience.
"It's all about follow-up," McCreesh said. "How will the IOP continue to hit people with information as it comes out and continue to keep this issue on the radar?"
IOP Director, Governor Jeanne Shaheen, thinks that campaigns interested in winning in 2008 must make young voters a priority.
"Our information offers numerous different strategies and tactics that each could be used to help court younger voters successfully. We hope 2008 political campaigns are listening," Shaheen said.
Be the first to comment on this story