Allston-Brighton
Though Barack Obama did not sweep to victory in Massachusetts’ Democratic primary, he did quite well and, according to studies, young voters age 18-24 may have helped him to succeed. A Harvard survey indicates that 35 percent of young Democrats favored Obama over Hillary Clinton.
The online survey, conducted by Harvard University’s Institute of Politics, found 43 percent of young Democratic men, and more than half of young Democratic African-Americans, said Obama would be their first choice for President.
“There’s no question that from everything I’ve seen from the polls, Obama is disproportionately being supported by younger people,” said Jennifer Steen, a professor of political science at Boston College and a former political consultant.
Since February, when Obama declared his candidacy, grassroots youth movements have spawned across the states and have drawn considerable support from young people. But this historic election has not only drawn in the younger crowd, but also more voters in general, according to Brian McNiff, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin.
“We have about 20,000 more voters than we had two years ago,” McNiff said.
In Allston-Brighton, nearly 8,400 more voters have registered for this year’s primary, an increase of 29 percent from the 2004 primaries, according to the Boston’s Election Department. The total number of Democrats in A-B increased by more than 4,000, while the total number of Republicans grew by just over 400.
Boston University English grad student David Lorango, 23, said before Tuesday that he was doing what he could to increase voter awareness in A-B, a historically low voter turnout neighborhood.
Lorango, a member of the Obama A-B group, said he has been supporting Obama since he was co-president of the Young Democrats at his college in California.
“I think that what he’s looking at is bringing people together, bringing in new faces, bringing in different opinions, bringing in different sides, and making sure that everyone’s voices are heard,” Lorango said. “We need someone to unify the country, and I think Obama is the right guy for the job.”
The A-B Obama group’s main goal was bringing awareness and ensuring registered voters who support Obama went out and voted, Lorango said. Since January 2007, members of the A-B Obama group knocked on more than 800 doors and passed literature throughout A-B.
McNiff said grassroots youth groups such as these are making a significant impact in this year’s election.
“It’s certainly a factor having young people involved in campaigns,” McNiff said. “Campaigns have often had younger people working on them because younger people are more capable of working 20-hour days.”
According to Lorango, he hopes that the group’s effort as well as other youth movements will encourage people to be involved with politi
