Voters between the ages of 18 and 25 have turned out in record numbers in this year’s presidential primaries and caucuses, and according to several recent polls, their faith and values are playing a major role in how they cast their ballots. An April 2008 Harvard University poll found that 37 percent of young voters said that religion is a very important part of their lives, and it identified a group called “religious centrists” – those who say they care deeply about the moral direction of the country – as 25 percent of college-age voters.

But young voters seem to define their faith and values in significantly different ways than previous generations of religion-driven voters. While their parents were likely to be more concerned with abortion, same-sex marriage and stem cell issues, today’s young voters of faith are more likely to list poverty, the Iraq war and universal health care as key moral issues. That puts the presidential candidates on a new playing field where young voters of faith are concerned. How can their concerns be addressed without alienating older religion-driven voters?

Why it matters

With young voters turning out in higher numbers than they have since Richard Nixon was in office more than three decades ago, their votes are likely to play an important role in determining the next president.

Questions for reporters

How do you define and measure the religion and values of an entire generation of voters? Do young voters of faith break down along party lines according to their faith backgrounds? How will candidates reach and mobilize young voters of faith? How do young voters of faith determine which candidates hold similar values? If the new generation of religion-driven voters is less concerned with abortion, same-sex marriage and stem cell research, what will happen to those issues in the campaign and in future legislation?

Organizations

Groups that seek to engage young people in politics and civic issues

NONPARTISAN
• Black Youth Vote seeks to mobilize African-American youths ages 18-35 to become involved in politics. It is currently focusing on voter registration drives in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan and Texas. It is a project of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation. Contact Jordan Thierry, Black Youth Vote coordinator, blackyouthvote@ncbcp.org.
• Joan Mandle is executive director of Democracy Matters, an organization that seeks to involve young people in politics. It is based in Hamilton, N.Y. Contact 315-824-4306.
• Generation Engage is a nonpartisan group that connects young people with political leaders and activists. It has chapters in several states, and its national headquarters are in Washington, D.C., and New York City. Adrian Talbott is executive director. Contact 202-465-4807, Adrian.talbott@generationengage.org, or Edward Wilcox, communications director, 646-792-8054, Edward.wilcox@generationengage.org.
• Headcount enlists musicians and hosts musical events to encourage young people to vote. It claims to have registered more than 50,000 new voters and is based in New York City. Media contacts are Dave Cirilli, dave@giantnoise.com, and Colin Wells, wells@giantnoise.com.
• Mobilize.org works to educate and mobilize young people in civic engagement and political participation. Among its projects is Democracy 2.0, a report based on the input of thousands of members of the “Millennial Generation” who were asked to describe what the American democracy should look like. David Beaumont Smith is the group’s founder. Contact via Katelyn Archer, vice president of grassroots organizing, katelyn@mobilize.org, or through the organization’s offices in Washington, D.C., at 202-736-5703, or Berkeley, Calif., at 510-717-3022.
• Rock the Vote tries to engage young voters in politics through music and outreach. It publishes Winning Young Voters: A Handbook for Campaigns, Candidates, Political Parties and Organizations. Contact media representative Chrissy Faessen, 202-719-9941 (office), 703-582-2777 (cell), chrissy@rockthevote.com.
• Smackdown Your Vote is a project of World Wrestling Entertainment to engage young people in the political process. Contact Gary Davis in media relations, 203-353-5066.

PARTISAN
• Hillblazers is an association of young people who supported Hillary Clinton for president. Contact via Hillary Clinton for President, 703-469-2008.
• The Joshua Generation Project is the name tentatively given to an outreach effort planned by Barack Obama’s campaign and aimed at young Catholics and evangelicals. (The Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody blogged about the project June 6, 2008; a subsequent post tells of a possible legal challenge over the name.) Contact Joshua Dubois, Obama’s director of religious affairs, via the campaign’s press office, 312-819-2423.
• The League of Young Voters is a progressive organization that organizes and trains young people around political issues at the local, state and national levels. Robert “Biko” Baker is executive director. Contact via media@theleague.com.
• The National Jewish Democratic Council operates an internship program for young Jewish Democrats to work in Washington, D.C. Ira Forman is executive director. Contact 202-216-9060.
• Punkvoter is an organization of punk musicians and fans organized to oppose the policies of President George W. Bush. Contact punkvoter@fatwreck.com.
• Students for Barack Obama is a national organization of students who have pledged to vote for Obama. It originated with a group of young people on Facebook.com. The Web site lists no national contact information but maintains a state-by-state list of college and university chapters, some of which have contact information.
• Young America’s Foundation is an organization for young conservatives. It organizes conferences for students on colleges and university campuses around conservative issues. Ron Robinson is president. Its offices are in Herndon, Va. Contact 703-318-9608.
• Young Democrats of America is an organization for young people under the age of 36. It has high school and college chapters and chapters in 46 states. It also has a High School Caucus, of which Erich Reimer is the executive director. He is a high school senior in Guilderland, N.Y., and wrote a statement titled “The Caucus of Faith: Necessary and Desirable,” in which he outlined his opinion that faith and political involvement are a good match. Contact 518-505-4568, erichreimer11@aim.com
• Young Republicans National Federation is an organization of registered Republicans between the ages of 18 and 40. It maintains a contact list of state clubs. Jessica Colón is national chairman. Contact 202-608-1417.
• Young Voter PAC is a political action committee for young Democrats. Jane Fleming Kleeb is executive director. Its offices are in Washington, D.C. Contact 202-445-5263, jane@youngvoterpac.org.

RELIGIOUS
• Redeem the Vote is the Christian music version of Rock the Vote, using Christian music and musicians to inspire young people to register to vote and engage politically. Randolph Brinson is its founder. Contact via Don Stillman, media relations, don@ccm1.com.
• The Solomon Project encourages political and civic involvement among American Jews, especially young Jews. It is based in Washington, D.C. William B. Dockser is president. Contact 202-216-9060.

Studies and polls of young voters

• Harvard University’s Institute of Politics 14th Biannual Youth Survey on Politics and Public Service, released in April 2008, found that young people turned out in record numbers for primaries and caucuses. The poll found that 37 percent of young voters reported that religion is a very important part of their lives and 45 percent expected it to become more important as they grew older. The religious demographics of the young voters polled showed: 21 percent are Catholic, 15 percent are Protestant, 11 percent are fundamental/evangelical Christians, 3 percent are Jewish, 2 percent are Mormon, 1 percent are Muslim, 12 percent are from “another religion” and 25 percent report no religious preference. The survey found that of those who planned to vote for a Democrat in November, 70 percent preferred Obama over Clinton.
• The National Study of Youth and Religion is a long-term study of the religious attitudes and practices of American youth. The project is directed by Christian Smith, sociology professor at the University of Notre Dame, and Lisa Pearce, assistant professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• The Pew Research Center released a study in February 2008 on the habits of young voters. It showed that voters between the ages of 18 and 29 trend strongly toward the Democratic Party and that the majority cast a ballot for Obama in primaries and caucuses. Comparing the data to that of older voters, the study showed that young voters were more likely to say they had no religious affiliation – 23 percent compared with 18 percent of voters ages 30 to 44.

Background

• Explore National Public Radio’s ongoing coverage of young voters.
• Visit the Web site of Generation Next, a PBS documentary about the challenges facing 16- to 25-year-old Americans. Part three, which is available for viewing online, deals with political engagement and involvement.
• Read a May 19, 2008, article by Ben Adler posted on Politico.com about McCain’s appeal – or lack thereof – to young voters.
• Read an Aug. 27, 2007, San Francisco Chronicle article about the challenge the Republican Party faces in attracting young voters. The article appears on the Web site of Common Dreams.
• Read an April 12, 2006, Christian Science Monitor story about young voters and the roles faith and values plays in their politics.

National sources

POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS
• Joshua Dubois is director of religious affairs for Barack Obama’s campaign. Dubois is 25 years old and joined the senator’s campaign after hearing his speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Contact via the Obama campaign’s press office, 312-819-2423.
• Burns Strider was senior adviser and director of faith-based operations for Hillary Clinton’s campaign. He has been the director of religious outreach for the House Democrats and the lead staffer for the Democrats’ Faith Working Group. He is based in Arlington, Va. Contact 703-469-2008.
• Meghan McCain is John McCain’s daughter and one of the writers behind McCain Blogette, where she frequently writes about the 2008 campaign. Contact press@mccainbloggettes.com.
• Marlys Popma is director of religious outreach for McCain’s campaign. Contact through McCain’s press office in Arlington, Va., 703-650-5550, press@mccain08hq.com.

RELIGIOUS
• Bill Devlin is president of Redeem the Vote, a nonprofit organization that works to engage young people of faith in politics, especially through a voter registration drive. The group has been called the evangelical answer to MTV’s Rock the Vote. Contact via Don Stillman in public relations, don@ccm1.com.
• Mike Hayes is a co-author of Googling God: The Religious Landscape of People in Their 20s and 30s (2007) and manager of the Web site Busted Halo. He blogs at Googling God and is based in New York City. Contact 212-265-3209 ext. 205, mike@bustedhalo.com.
• Ethan Nichtern is the author of One City: A Declaration of Interdependence (2007), a new Buddhist political treatise about, among other things, youth and political activism in a post 9-11 world. He is the founder of the Interdependence Project in New York City. Contact ethan@theidproject.com.
• Christian and Amy Piatt are authors of MySpace to Sacred Space: God for a New Generation (2007). Christian is a writer and columnist, and Amy is the founding minister of Milagro Christian Church in Pueblo, Colo. Contact cpiatt@christianpiatt.com.
• Jim Wallis is founder of Sojourners, a grassroots organization of religious progressives, and editor of its magazine. His latest book is The Great Awakening: Reviving Faith & Politics in a Post-Religious Right America (2008). Wallis has said that at Sojourners events across the country, he has been impressed with the political commitment of young people, much of which he says comes from their religious, ethical and moral convictions. Contact through Tim King, 202-745-4636 or tking@sojo.net and media@sojo.net.

ACADEMIC
• John Green is a specialist on religion and politics at the Bliss Institute at the University of Akron and a co-author of The Diminishing Divide: Religion’s Changing Role in American Politics. Contact 330-972-6295, green@uakron.edu.
• Dean Hoge is a sociology professor at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and editor of Young Adult Catholics: Religion in the Culture of Choice. Contact 202-319-5999.
• David King is a lecturer in public policy at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. He has supervised several polls and surveys on the voting habits of American youth, including the university’s 14th Biannual Youth Survey on Politics and Public Service, which found dramatic increases in the number of young people who voted in several state primaries. He has said that candidates who hope to capture this voting group must focus not just on issues, but on “fairness and morality.” Contact 617-495-1665, david_king@harvard.edu.
• Peter Levine is director of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement in the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland in College Park. One of the center’s studies is titled “Millennials Talk Politics: A Study of College Student Civic Engagement,” a 2007 study that found that young voters could make up one-quarter of the electorate in 2008. He is also the author of The Future of Democracy: Developing the Next Generation of American Citizens (2007). Contact 301-405-4767, plevine@umd.edu.
• Corwin Smidt is executive director of the Henry Institute at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich. He oversees the institute’s semester in Washington, D.C., for undergraduates, which includes a course on integrating religion and politics. Contact 616-526-6233, smid@calvin.edu.
• Alan Wolfe is a professor of political science at Boston College and director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life there. He can discuss the political involvement and interest of young voters of different faiths. Contact 617-552-1862 or 617-552-4160, alan.wolfe.1@bc.edu.
• Robert Wuthnow is director of the Center for the Study of Religion at Princeton University in Princeton, N.J. He is also the author of After the Baby Boomers: How Twenty- and Thirty-Somethings Are Shaping the Future of American Religion (2007). Contact wuthnow@princeton.edu.

OTHER
• Scott Beale is the founder of Millennial Politics.com, which seeks to involve youth in politics, and the author of Millennial Manifesto. He splits his time between India and Washington, D.C. Contact 202-669-4497, scott@scottbeale.com.
• Michael Connery is a co-founder of Future Majority, a blog that covers the involvement of young voters in progressive politics. Connery is the author of Youth to Power: How Today’s Young Voters Are Building Tomorrow’s Progressive Majority (2008). Contact 914-498-4361, mike.connery@gmail.com.
• Alexis McGill is executive director of Citizen Change, a national nonpartisan, nonprofit organization created to educate, motivate and empower young eligible voters. The group was founded by entertainer and entrepreneur Sean “P. Diddy” Combs. McGill has also worked as political director for the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, national coalition of hip-hop artists, entertainment industry leaders, education advocates, civil rights proponents and youth leaders who believe that hip-hop music can be a force for changing poverty and injustice. Contact 212-381-2066.
• Erich Reimer is executive director of the Young Democrats of America’s High School Caucus. He is a high school senior in Guilderland, N.Y., and wrote a statement titled “The Caucus of Faith: Necessary and Desirable,” in which he outlined his opinion that faith and political involvement are a good match. Contact 518-505-4568, erichreimer11@aim.com

Regional sources

IN THE NORTHEAST

• Elizabeth E. Carr, a Catholic religious adviser at Amherst College in Amherst, Mass., is a past vice president of the National Association of College and University Chaplains. She can discuss the political engagement of young people of faith on college campuses. Contact 413-542-8083, ecarr@amherst.edu
• Andrés Idarraga is a 2008 graduate of Brown University who will start law school at Yale University in the fall. He has been an organizer, spokesman and activist for the Right to Vote Campaign in Rhode Island. According to his biography, at age 20 he was sent to prison and served six and a half years. After his release, he wanted to turn his life around by becoming a positive force within his community. Contact via Right to Vote, 401-781-5808 ext. 102.
• Elaine C. Kamarck is a lecturer in public policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Mass. She worked in the Clinton-Gore administration and wrote a March 31, 2008, op-ed piece for Newsday outlining the difficulties McCain may face in reaching young voters. Contact 617-495-9002, elaine_kamarck@harvard.edu.
• The Maine League of Young Voters is a state chapter of the League of Young Voters. Contact 207-772-3207.
• Carmen Sirianni is a professor of sociology and public policy at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass. He is an expert on the role social networks play in youth civic engagement. Contact 781-736-2652, sirianni@brandeis.com.

IN THE EAST

• Shane Claiborne is a Philadelphia-based Christian activist and co-author of Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals (2008). He can discuss young evangelicals who may vote Democratic. Contact via Melissa Delong, 610-341-1735.
• Connie Flanagan is a professor of youth civic development at Penn State University in University Park, Pa. She can discuss the role family and personal values play in the development of young people’s political views. Contact 814-863-7425, caf15@psu.edu.
• Jon Gromek is an organizing associate at Network, a Catholic social justice group based in Washington, D.C., that lobbies politicians to adopt policies the group sees as being in tune with the Christian Gospels. He is 22 years old. Contact 202-347-9797 ext. 204, jgromek@networklobby.org.
• Fredrick C. Harris is a professor of political science at Columbia University in New York City. He is an expert on the political awareness and participation of African-American youth. Contact 212-854-6593, fh2170@columbia.edu.
• Scott C. Keeter is associate director of the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press in Washington, D.C. He co-wrote the book The Diminishing Divide: Religion’s Changing Role in American Politics. Contact 202-293-3126 ext. 16, keeters@people-press.org.
• Khari Mosely is national coordinator of the League of Young Voters and has extensive experience with youth political activism in Pittsburgh. Contact 412-231-8648, khari@pittsbughunited.org.
• Jason Page is the outreach coordinator for New York City for Generation Engage. Contact 646-792-8085, Jason.page@generationengage.org.
• Cliff Zukin is a political science professor at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. He has described today’s young voters as “incredibly tolerant” in terms of race and gender and can comment on the voting habits of young people and how they differ from their parents. Contact 732-932-4100 ext. 6205, zukin@rci.rutgers.edu.

IN THE SOUTHEAST

• Courtney Crowder is the North Carolina state chairman for Generation Engage in Raleigh. Contact 919-833-5956, Courtney@generationengage.org.
• Melinda Lundquist Denton is a graduate student in religion sociology at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. She is the project manager for the National Study of Youth and Religion and is a co-author of Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers. Contact mlund@email.unc.edu.
• Rock Higgins is pastor of A Different Richmond, an emergent church of young Christians that meets Saturday nights in different locations around Richmond, Va. One of the group’s goals is to put its faith into practice in the broader community. Contact 804-306-2112, rock@adifferentrichmond.net.
• Ali Ingersoll is outreach coordinator for Generation Engage for South Florida. She is based in Miami. Contact 954-303-5585, ali.ingersoll@generationengage.org.
• Kenneth Stroupe is a political scientist at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He is director of the university’s National Youth Leadership Initiative. He has said he is skeptical of young voters’ dedication because they have historically turned out to vote in low numbers. Contact 434-243-8468, kstroupe@virginia.edu.
• John Transue is an assistant professor of political science at Duke University in Durham, N.C. His expertise includes the political participation of youth. Contact 919-660-4300, transue@duke.edu.

IN THE SOUTH

• David P. Gushee is University Fellow and Graves Professor of Moral Philosophy at Union University in Jackson, Tenn. He edited Christians & Politics Beyond the Culture Wars: An Agenda for Engagement. Contact 731-661-5024, dgushee@uu.edu.
• Penny Long Marler is a professor of religion at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. She has tracked contemporary trends in religious behavior and has written about the attitudes of young adult Catholics. Contact 205-726-2869, plmarler@samford.edu.
• Onyinyechukwa Nwabuoku was the leader of the Hillblazers chapter at Tulane University in New Orleans. Contact onwabuok@tulane.edu.

IN THE MIDWEST

• David E. Campbell is an associate professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame who has written widely on religion and politics and what motivates voters to go to the polls. His books include, as editor, A Matter of Faith: Religion in the 2004 Presidential Election (2007). Contact 574-631-7809, Dave_Campbell@nd.edu.
• Ryan Friedrichs is Michigan coordinator for the Center for Civic Participation and executive director of Michigan Voice, a statewide collaboration focused on progressive communication and on coordinating outreach to historically underrepresented voters, including communities of color, young voters, new citizens and low-income voters. It is based in Detroit. He is also on the executive committee of the Young Voter PAC. Contact 313-566-0538, ryan@ccp.org.
• Bakari Kitwana is the author of The Hip Hop Generation: Young Blacks and the Crisis in African-American Culture. He has taught a course titled “The Politics of the Hip-Hop Generation” at Kent State University. He lives in Westlake, Ohio. Contact 440-779-9893, bakari@bakarikitwana.com.
• Awais Khaleel is a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was the first Muslim to serve as state chair for the Wisconsin College Democrats and is now the first Muslim to serve as vice president of the College Democrats of America. He is also involved with Campus Progress and is a superdelegate who has endorsed Obama. Contact khaleela@collegedems.com.
• Lauren Wolfe is president of the College Democrats of America. She attends law school in Detroit and frequently blogs about young voters for the Huffington Post. Contact wolfel@collegedems.com.
• Angela Woodson is director of outreach for the Ohio governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives in Columbus. She is co-founder of Blacks United in Local Democracy, a political action committee that encourages young people to run for political office. She has co-chaired the National Hip-Hop Political Convention and works with Campus Progress. Contact 614-466-3398.

IN THE SOUTHWEST

• Kevin Bondelli works in youth activism and Democratic politics as the Young Demcrats of America’s Southwest region director from Arizona and a member of the Democratic National Committee’s Youth Council. He blogs about the youth vote. Contact kbondelli@gmail.com.
• Tony Gonzales is a vice chairman of the Arizona Democratic Party. At 31, he is one of the youngest political leaders in the state. He has said mobilizing the state’s youth vote is among his top priorities. He lives in Flagstaff. Contact 928-606-2109, toniojax@yahoo.com.
• Michael McDevitt is an associate professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He is an expert on youth civic engagement and youth engagement in elections and oversaw a 2006 study of the political activity of American teenagers. Contact 303-735-0460, mochael.mcdevitt@coloradu.edu.

IN THE WEST/NORTHWEST

• Eugene Cho is a pastor at Quest Church, a Seattle church with a largely under-35 crowd. On his blog, he has encouraged young Christians to look beyond issues, such as abortion, that he says have allowed them to be “manipulated” by politicians. Contact Eugene@seattlequest.org.
• Jaime Contreras is outreach coordinator for Generation Engage for the San Jose, Calif., area. Contact 408-340-0828, Jaime.contreras@generationengage.org.
• Catherine Corigall-Brown conducted a study on the political activism of University of California, Irvine students and found that their political involvement, whether motivated by environmental concerns, religious convictions or a sense of service, fostered a belief that they can collectively make a difference. Contact ccorriga@uci.edu.
• Bob Cornwall is a Disciples of Christ pastor who for 2 ½ years has written a column on faith in the public square for the Lompoc (Calif.) Record. His blog is titled “Ponderings on a Faith Journey” and includes his reflections about young voters of faith. He is based in Santa Barbara, Calif., but is moving to Troy, Mich., to become senior pastor at Central Woodward Christian Church. Contact drbobcornwall@yahoo.com.
• Thomas Goldstein is described as “head honcho” at the Seattle-based Washington Bus project, a spinoff of the Oregon Bus Project, which seeks to engage young people in politics. Contact 206-325-1889, Thomas@washingtonbus.org.
• Wynton Hall is a fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. He is a frequent speaker at college seminars for young conservatives. Contact via Flaming Star Literary Enterprises, 212-222-0083, flamingstarlit@aol.com or whall@hoover.stanford.edu.
• Jefferson Smith is the founding chair of the Oregon Bus Project, a grassroots organization that seeks to motivate young people to “do one thing” for democracy. It has offices in Portland and Eugene. Contact 503-233-3018.