SAINT PAUL, Minn— The November election is just one month away, and political experts say a silent majority may be ready to strike.
“We’re starting to see a significant impact in terms of young voters,” U of M political science professor Larry Jacobs says.
For decades the Baby Boomers dominated the polls thanks in part to high numbers and high voter turnout.
But this time around Jacobs says Millennials and post-Millennials have the power to take over.
“The young voters outnumber the Baby Boomer and the Silent Generation, but they just don’t show up to the polls,” Jacobs says.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Millennials born between 1982 and 2000, now outnumber Baby Boomers by more than 10 million people.
However, during the 2014 midterm election, only 1 out of 5 Millennials showed up to vote.
During the same election Baby Boomers had a turnout of more than 50 percent, according to a Pew Research study.
“Very few politicians worry about younger voters and with that low turnout it’s no wonder,” Jacobs says.
Many high-profile celebrities have been encouraging voters to show up on Election Day.
Earlier this week Taylor Swift posted a message on her Instagram page where she currently has just over 112 million followers.
“Overnight we saw a huge impact with tens of thousands of new voter registrations,” Jacobs says.
That’s a lot of impact for one pop singer, but Jacobs says it will take much more than that to get young voters to show up the same way Baby Boomers do.
“There’s a reason why senior programs like Social Security and Medicare don’t get cut. It’s because politicians are afraid of older voters. They’re not afraid of young voters right now, and rightfully so.”