Actions speak louder than words, and on November 4th, American voters made a lot of noise. They got out and voted for change and renewal of the American dream, after eight long years of failed politics. One group played a particularly important role in this election, long thought to be an unreliable and uncommitted demographic, the young voters.

History has shown that the 18-20 year old group of voters was the least present on election day. They had never made an impact large enough to swing an election. But in this election year 2008, Barack Obama made a mission to appeal to the younger generation. Obama used his charisma to rekindle excitement in presidential politics, he called upon all Americans to demand change.

There were fears that although young voters seemed enthusiastic, they would be no-shows on election day. This skepticism proved false as early estimates show. An executive director of “Rock the Vote” said that as many as 24 million voters between the ages of 18 and 29 cast their ballots, this is about 3 to 4 million more young voters than the 2004 election. Not only did record breaking numbers show up, but they voted 2:1 in favor of Obama. In the states of Indiana and North Carolina Obama lost to McCain in every age group except the youngest, but Obama won both states with a narrow margin.

Not surprisingly most of these voters said the economy was the most important issue. Many college students face rising tuition prices and they are worried about their financial future. The Obama tax and health care plans were favored greatly by this demographic, not being swayed by accusations of socialism or inexperience. College students and others in this age group were not influenced by the barrage of negative ads, they stayed strong in their conviction to vote for change and opportunity.

This election is another testament to how young voters connect with an optimistic candidate, one that promotes hope. In 1960, John F. Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon with a message of hope and service to the country. If future candidates want to win the youth vote, they have to focus on what we can do in the future, not what we have failed to do in the past. Obama’s campaign slogan “Yes We Can” embodies this message.