Voter turnout for Oakland low versus rest of county

Compared to other districts in Allegheny County, Oakland voters don’t show up in large numbers… Compared to other districts in Allegheny County, Oakland voters don’t show up in large numbers at the polls.

In the 2008 presidential general election, Oakland voters turned out in significantly lower numbers than the rest of Allegheny County. Oakland saw 48.4 percent of its 4,405 registered voters at the polls, whereas Allegheny County saw 68.8 percent of its 956,114 voters.

These poll numbers mark a nationwide trend among one of Oakland’s main demographic groups: low voter turnout among 18- to 24-year-olds.

Kristin Kanthak, a Pitt political science professor, said that many factors play into a demographic’s turnout. She said those factors include the voter’s marriage status, education level and whether the voter has lived in the same place over the course of many years.

“All the things that make you more likely to vote, [students] have less of,” Kanthak said. “It’s not there’s something wrong with Pitt students. It’s that students [in general] don’t vote.”

She said that it is more difficult for young voters to find out where their polling place is, find the polling place itself and find transportation to the voting booth. Students can find most of this information online, through Pennsylvania’s Department of State.

According to the United States Census Bureau, 89.6 percent of the 146,311,000 registered voters nationwide voted in the 2008 general election. But only 83 percent of those people registered in the 18-to-24 age range cast a ballot. This number was the lowest percentage of any age range that the census recorded.

Based on the total population — not just registered voters — the 18-to-24 age range increased its voter turnout from 46.7 percent in 2004 to 48.5 percent in 2008.

Professors and students alike gave reasons for the low youth voter turnout, as well as the possible effects it has on elections.

Logan Dancey, a postdoctoral associate in Pitt’s political science department, said that voting is habit-forming and that many people in the 18-to-24 age range haven’t yet established a voting routine. He said that the youth’s failure to turn out in large numbers in comparison to older demographics plays a role in how candidates campaign.

“[Candidates] are going to spend time mobilizing people who [they] think are going to vote for [them],” Dancey said. “Potentially, elected officials might be less concerned with young people if they don’t vote.”

Dancey said there hasn’t been much discussion of college tuition or other issues specific to younger voters in the race for the Republican nomination so far, but President Barack Obama will most likely continue to focus on the younger demographic as he did in the 2008 election.

Although members of the Pitt College Democrats and Pitt College Republicans disagree on many political issues, both groups encourage students to participate in the political process and distribute voter registration cards to students across campus.

Lara Sullivan, president of the Pitt College Democrats, acknowledged that many students are not interested in politics, and she speculated why there aren’t more young people at the polls.

“A lot of young people might not follow politics … some students do follow, but they don’t think their vote makes a difference,” Sullivan said. “You have to look at the bigger picture. It’s important that we have a voice in politics.”

Sullivan said that she re-registered to vote in Oakland, rather than remaining registered in her hometown outside of Philadelphia, because she lives at Pitt most of the year. She wanted to have a say in local politics because they are the people representing her on campus.

Casey Rankin, president of the the Pitt College Republicans, agreed that students are less inclined to be interested in politics but said that they still need to use their political leverage by voting.

“Ultimately, every politician wants to be re-elected. You tend to cater to the people who are voting,” Rankin said. “When you don’t use your political influence, you lose it.”