Midterm elections historically attract lackluster voter turnout. But Obama's hoping that this trend won't translate to the young people moved to action by his 2008 campaign. After all, with his presidential win, the talk of the town was the youth vote. Credited with superb social media and grassroots organizing, the Obama campaign's attra came out on top.
But according to the Washington Post, this year young people aren't feeling it. The article relays stories of college students who voted and even campaigned for Barack Obama in 2008 but admit that this year they intend to sit out during the election. One student described: "the euphoria has dimmed down."
To counter that, President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are hitting college campuses nationwide this week, in an effort to drum up the support of those young people for their party's candidates in various states.
Today, Obama himself will visit the University of Wisconsin in Madison, employing a technique we at HeadCount know gets the attention of young potential voters: getting popular musicians involved.
The President is scheduled to speak and will have both Ben Harper and The National in tow.
The speech and any live tunes will be broadcast live on Obama's website today at 6:30 EST.