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Factoring in the minority vote for Decision 2012
The youth vote played a major role in the 2008 presidential election, so did the minority vote, but in the four years since do these voters have the same momentum?
How will the numbers play out locally? Women voters are expected to really drive the polls, but where do the youth and minority stand? Polls are showing that President Obama is headed to win the largest share of Latino and African-American voters. While, the youth vote this year is indifferent compared to the presidential race in 2008, News 5 spoke with both students and minorities here's where they stand on the political spectrum. In 2008 youth between the ages of 18 to 29 years old were the highest demographic group to ever cast a ballot. "I didn't have health insurance. It wasn't a big thing, but he was for the people," said Robert Hart. Hart, a senior at Hastings College, voted for president Obama in 2008. Since then, his enthusiasm has waned. "I believe that everybody should have healthcare and should have a way to pay for it, but I just don't know if this system is the way it should be done," said Hart. Hart is against the healthcare mandate and believes individuals should have a choice, one of the reasons he will cast a vote for libertarian candidate Gary Johnson. Other students from the battleground state Colorado and Kansas are registered Democrats voting for Obama. "Not that I have been completely happy with how he's run things in the last four years, but I am very confident that he's sort of the lesser of two evils. I have no confidence that Mitt Romney will be a reliable President," said Rubea Stouppe. "One of the reasons why I'm voting for Obama is because I believe Mitt Romney will be more likely to favor people with more money," Elyse Appelgate said. The minority vote will also play a huge role in this years presidential election recent polls show that 87 % of black registered voters support President Barack Obama while 5 percent are backing Governor Romney also polls show record participation will be among Latino voters The Latino decision/impreMedia tracking poll shows that 73% Latino voters support President Obama while 21 percent favor Governor Romney. "He supports women and I like his plan for the education system and I like that he's a family oriented person. I like that his roots are different and he wasn't always rich," said Trina Knight. Knight is from Honduras but lives in Nebraska with her family, who she says typically vote Republican. Political Science Professor Amyot weighs in on how the numbers will play out in the state. "Certainly, the minority vote in the second district could be really important, but the polls that I'm seeing certainly like the New York Times for example still has all of Nebraska solidly red," said Amyot. Although, the political plane field in the state has altered some. "The number of Independents increased since 2008 mostly from Democrats, this election is going to be close and it really could come down to one electoral vote," Amyot said. As far as Nebraska Senate Candidates Senator Kerrey and Deb Fischer, Nebraska voters News 5 spoke with were still undecided. Some say Kerrey is just too liberal while others say Fischer hasn't been clear on the issues. |
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