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Nearly seven million people between the ages of 18 and 29 voted in the 2008 U.S. presidential primaries and caucuses, a turnout that is more than double those in 2000 and 2004. With the primaries now officially over, it appears that this trend of young and first-time voters coming out to the polls in record numbers will continue in November, according to Declare Yourself, a national nonpartisan, nonprofit youth voting initiative.

In November there will be 44 million potential voters between 18 and 29—one-fifth of the entire electorate. Given the primary turnout this year and the huge increases in youth turnout in 2004 and 2006, it's clear the nation is in the midst of a historic year for young voters.

The majority of young voters—approximately 4.9 million—casted their primary ballots for a Democratic candidate. Of the Democratic electorate in states in which exit polling data was available in both 2004 and 2008, the Declare Yourself analysis shows that voters ages 18-29 made up 14.5% of the electorate in 2008, compared to 9.4% in 2004—a 53% increase. On the Republican side, voters in this age group increased roughly 10%.

"Now that the smoke has cleared, the final numbers from our analysis are truly phenomenal," said Marc Morgenstern, Executive Director of Declare Yourself. "We're helping to drive youth voter participation to an all-time high, and we believe young voters will continue to increase and eventually break records for the U.S. Presidential election in November."

Morgenstern added that general election turnout is historically much higher than primary turnout for all age groups. "Young voters are engaged and involved in the 2008 election like never before. They will continue to confound the skeptics and be a significant factor in November."

ya es hora ¡Ve y Vota! (It’s Time, Go Vote!)

NCLR believes that Latinos in the United States have an important role to play in improving our nation’s future. Part of that role includes increasing Hispanic participation in the political process by encouraging eligible applicants to become citizens, motivating citizens to register to vote, and creating a new generation of Latino leaders to educate voters about issues affecting Hispanics. First, NCLR assists those eligible to become citizens through two initiatives: ya es hora ¡Ciudadanía! (Citizenship, It’s Time!) and the Latino Empowerment and Advocacy Project (LEAP). The organization then encourages voter registration and participation through the ya es hora ¡Ve y Vota! (It’s Time, Go Vote!) campaign. Finally, NCLR encourages college students to participate in the electoral process and educate voters through Día de Avanze Latino y Enseñanza (¡DALE!), formerly Latino Education and Advocacy Day (LEAD).

Visit the ya es hora ¡Ve y Vota! (It’s Time, Go Vote!) online voter registration tool at http://www.veyvota.org.