Poll: Young Voters Less Enthused About Obama

Back in 2008, President Obama rested his campaign on the enthusiasm of young people. Now, it appears that he’s got problems with the youth contingent. According to a new poll, less young voters are interested in this election, and less young voters are following the election closely. The Pew Research Poll has Obama leading among young voters 59-33, but their level of enthusiasm is significantly lower than four years ago, with just 63 percent saying they plan on voting, compared to 72 percent during the last cycle. Only 18 percent said they followed the campaign closely, compared with 35 percent four years ago.

The thrill isn’t just gone among younger voters. It’s gone among Latinos. While 23.7 million Latinos are eligible to vote this year, in 2008, just 50 percent of Latinos voted. And from 2008 to 2010, the number of Latinos who said they’re registered to vote dropped by 600,000.