November 10, 2008
Director's Note
When a statement is repeated often enough, it may start sounding cliché – which can make it seem hollow or somehow unimportant. But just because a point is often repeated doesn’t mean that it’s inconsequential, or that its impact has been sufficiently examined.
Case in point: the college student demographic plays a critically important role in the American body politic. Since before the founding of “Rock the Vote” in the late 1980s, experts have been noting the critical and increasing role played in the political process by young people in America. And the data demonstrate that the 18-29 year-old age group grows only more and more important to our elections. National exit polling demonstrates that voters in this age bracket made up 18 percent of the total vote in this year’s election, up from 17 percent in the last three presidential elections. Twenty-four million young adults in this age group went to the polls – a turnout rate of 55 percent for this grouping, representing a six percent increase over the number who voted in 2004.
Both presidential candidates and other candidates for a variety of offices around the country wooed this valued demographic; accordingly, young adults played an outsized role in helping to select the next President of the United States. According to an election night analysis by Tufts University’s Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, “This is by far the highest share of the youth vote obtained by any candidate since exit polls began reporting results by age categories in 1976.”
What does this have to do with Israel advocacy on college campuses? Everything.
First and foremost, as you can see throughout this edition of our newsletter, student advocates from around the country have found creative and varied ways to use this election as an opportunity to engage their peers – and the campaigns – surrounding Israel. And the more students are drawn into the political process, the more engaged and invested they will be in the outcome. As the base of politically-involved students grows, the number of potential future Israel advocates on campus similarly increases. In short, building students’ “muscle memory” when it comes to political and policy involvement can only help when it comes to advocating for Israel.
Indeed, college-aged students – including Israel’s advocates on campus – have never been more involved or invested in the political process. And for the diverse array of ICC member organizations, and for the mission that we share in common, that can only be a good thing.
David A. Harris
Executive Director