In Presidential Elections They Turn Out, and are key to Democratic victory

Following is a post I wrote after the 2014 election and posted on the Face Book page of Bureau County Democrats:

There is a lot of soul searching right now about how we fell short on Tuesday. The chart below lays out in clear detail what happened not only this year but in 2010 as well. Progressive ballot initiatives passed everywhere by overwhelming majorities which show, even considering the demographic metrics of this last election day, the American People are with us on individual issues.
Where we fell short is on turnout among our younger voters who are overwhelming more diverse. The Millennial Generation are a historical aberration in that they are breaking in unprecedented numbers away from previous generations in voting patterns and skewing heavily Democratic.
Steve Bennen writes, "The age gap between younger voters and seniors was huge in 2010 and had a lot to do with the Republican wave election. As NBC News’ exit polls found , this was even more pronounced yesterday."
The overall Republican demographic shrinks by approx. 2% every 4 years. However the "over 60" demographic which is heavily Republican, has increased their total participation rate in off year elections since 2008 from 29% to 35% while the under 30 generation remains static in such years at 12-13%.
Father Time will eventually erase this trend permanently but we would be better served to reach out, inspire and engage these voters now. Elections are after all about the future and no voter group has a longer future or more to lose than the Millennial Generation.

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http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/dems-struggle-older-voters-dominate