Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Young Voters

Aired November 04, 2003 - 06:05   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It's just about time for CNN to rock the boat. In just 13 hours, eight Democrats vying to win a spot on the presidential ticket will face a couple of hundred very passionate young voters, not to mention our own Anderson Cooper.
A preview now. Dan Lothian is in Boston.

Good morning -- Dan.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN BOSTON BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning, Carol.

Well, indeed, later tonight the presidential candidates -- the Democratic presidential candidates will be sitting down face to face with these young people as part of a forum or a town hall meeting.

This is a chance for the young people to get some of the questions answered that are important to them, as they try to point out that they want to be an important part in the political process.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LOTHIAN (voice-over): Advertisers consider them hip, hot and highly desirable, but some of America's nine million college students are feeling a little underappreciated, at least when it comes to politics.

JONATHAN CHAVEZ, HARVARD UNIVERSITY JUNIOR: They're wanting to get involved in politics. That's what the data shows us.

LOTHIAN: Campaigns often tap college campuses for volunteers, to work computers and wave signs. But James Glaser, an associate political science professor at Tufts University, says visualizing them as voters is another story.

JAMES GLASER, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR TUFTS UNIVERSITY: College students are the worst voters that are out there, mostly because they're highly mobile and they're new to the communities they live in.

LOTHIAN: In other words, an expensive and hard-to-get crowd. But now, at Harvard University and 11 other colleges, there's a growing effort to get on the political radar.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're hitting thousands and thousands and thousands of kids our age.

LOTHIAN: As part of a national civic engagement campaign... UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do we, as, like, a national campaign, to get political candidates to, you know, recognize youth? How do we kind of get them to recognize us, if we're just like everybody else?

LOTHIAN: These undergrads are working to get students informed and involved.

BETSY SYKES, HARVARD UNIVERSITY SENIOR: I think the real message here is that the youth vote is up for grabs. And that we're not apathetic, and we're not disengaged like everyone thinks we are.

LOTHIAN: Democrats and Republicans seem to be paying more attention by following youth trends, like this recent DNC hip-hop fund-raiser/rally, attended by former President Bill Clinton.

And many believe Howard Dean's popularity was sparked in part by young voters, who bought into his early Internet-based campaign.

GLASER: Those candidates who are reaching them in the ways that they're used to being reached are finding that they're resonating with young people.

LOTHIAN: Young people, fighting for a place around the political table.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Now, these young voters say that they are concerned about many of the same issues that concern older Americans, but in particular they care a lot about education and the economy, as they get ready to look for jobs after graduation -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, but, still, Dan, the candidates are dealing with quite a generation gap. And despite all of the hip-hop concerts trying to attract young voters, isn't that really difficult to overcome?

LOTHIAN: Well, it is certainly difficult to overcome. If you talk to some of the campaigns, they'll tell you that young voters do have a particular way to be reached, and certainly the Internet is one way. As I talked about, Howard Dean has been able to reach out to young voters through the Internet. Wesley Clark has been able to do the same thing.

So certainly, the experts will tell you that there is this big generation gap, but they say it's important because young voters are an important group, and if you want to reach them, you have to reach them at their level.

COSTELLO: Yes, but, Dan, do they turn out in large numbers to even vote?

LOTHIAN: Well, they do turn out in some numbers, but not large numbers. And even some of these young people we spoke with do admit that they are a difficult group to reach, but they said that they do have a voice. They are, as they put it, the future of America, and this is a group that wants some attention and says that they want to get involved in the process.

COSTELLO: And good for them. Dan Lothian reporting live from Boston.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.






Aired November 4, 2003 - 06:05   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It's just about time for CNN to rock the boat. In just 13 hours, eight Democrats vying to win a spot on the presidential ticket will face a couple of hundred very passionate young voters, not to mention our own Anderson Cooper.
A preview now. Dan Lothian is in Boston.

Good morning -- Dan.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN BOSTON BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning, Carol.

Well, indeed, later tonight the presidential candidates -- the Democratic presidential candidates will be sitting down face to face with these young people as part of a forum or a town hall meeting.

This is a chance for the young people to get some of the questions answered that are important to them, as they try to point out that they want to be an important part in the political process.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LOTHIAN (voice-over): Advertisers consider them hip, hot and highly desirable, but some of America's nine million college students are feeling a little underappreciated, at least when it comes to politics.

JONATHAN CHAVEZ, HARVARD UNIVERSITY JUNIOR: They're wanting to get involved in politics. That's what the data shows us.

LOTHIAN: Campaigns often tap college campuses for volunteers, to work computers and wave signs. But James Glaser, an associate political science professor at Tufts University, says visualizing them as voters is another story.

JAMES GLASER, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR TUFTS UNIVERSITY: College students are the worst voters that are out there, mostly because they're highly mobile and they're new to the communities they live in.

LOTHIAN: In other words, an expensive and hard-to-get crowd. But now, at Harvard University and 11 other colleges, there's a growing effort to get on the political radar.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're hitting thousands and thousands and thousands of kids our age.

LOTHIAN: As part of a national civic engagement campaign... UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do we, as, like, a national campaign, to get political candidates to, you know, recognize youth? How do we kind of get them to recognize us, if we're just like everybody else?

LOTHIAN: These undergrads are working to get students informed and involved.

BETSY SYKES, HARVARD UNIVERSITY SENIOR: I think the real message here is that the youth vote is up for grabs. And that we're not apathetic, and we're not disengaged like everyone thinks we are.

LOTHIAN: Democrats and Republicans seem to be paying more attention by following youth trends, like this recent DNC hip-hop fund-raiser/rally, attended by former President Bill Clinton.

And many believe Howard Dean's popularity was sparked in part by young voters, who bought into his early Internet-based campaign.

GLASER: Those candidates who are reaching them in the ways that they're used to being reached are finding that they're resonating with young people.

LOTHIAN: Young people, fighting for a place around the political table.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Now, these young voters say that they are concerned about many of the same issues that concern older Americans, but in particular they care a lot about education and the economy, as they get ready to look for jobs after graduation -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, but, still, Dan, the candidates are dealing with quite a generation gap. And despite all of the hip-hop concerts trying to attract young voters, isn't that really difficult to overcome?

LOTHIAN: Well, it is certainly difficult to overcome. If you talk to some of the campaigns, they'll tell you that young voters do have a particular way to be reached, and certainly the Internet is one way. As I talked about, Howard Dean has been able to reach out to young voters through the Internet. Wesley Clark has been able to do the same thing.

So certainly, the experts will tell you that there is this big generation gap, but they say it's important because young voters are an important group, and if you want to reach them, you have to reach them at their level.

COSTELLO: Yes, but, Dan, do they turn out in large numbers to even vote?

LOTHIAN: Well, they do turn out in some numbers, but not large numbers. And even some of these young people we spoke with do admit that they are a difficult group to reach, but they said that they do have a voice. They are, as they put it, the future of America, and this is a group that wants some attention and says that they want to get involved in the process.

COSTELLO: And good for them. Dan Lothian reporting live from Boston.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.