In terms of voter turnout, a campus political scientist says the past four years have calmed the symptoms of "election mania."
A recent Gallup poll found that 63 percent of registered voters ages 18 to 29, known as the "youth vote," said they "definitely" plan to show up at the polls. According to The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, 46 million people in that age group are eligible to vote. Of that 46 million, 61 percent registered in 2008.
Based on those numbers, 17.6 million youth voters will show up to the polls in November - only 38.4 percent. In 2008, 51 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds voted, according to a Kansas City Star report. That's a 12.6 percentage point drop in votes from the age group.
Joe Losco, chairperson of the Department of Political Science at Ball State, said part of the reason behind this is because the 2008 election was historic.
With Barack Obama being the first African-American president and Hillary Clinton a possible candidate for the first female president, the election promised to be groundbreaking.
Compared to the 2008 "Obamamania", excitement about this year's election has decreased dramatically.
The youth vote's choice, however, hasn't changed.
An Associated Press-GfK poll conducted in September found 61 percent of those registered in the 18-to-29 age bracket support the president - 30 percent said they support presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
"Obama is a charismatic character, personality, young, and he went out of his way to appeal to young people as well," Losco said.
Young people had a hope that Obama would change political discussions, making them more civil and less shrill, he said.
"Students, by and large, don't like a lot of bickering," he said. "They like to see things get done."
Even though Losco said Obama attempted to change this, he added there are still TV personalities screaming at each other and hostile things said by all sides.
He said those hoping for this change don't see it, and that has caused disappointment and less optimism.
The economy also plays a role in students' involvement in the election, Losco said.
Four years after the Great Recession hit hardest, there's still a high unemployment rate, something young people are especially concerned about. Losco added there is little prospect of climbing out of this quickly.
"Generally, optimism and sense of history are what helped move young people to vote," Losco said. "Neither of those two factors are in play this year. I think there's more of a subdued feeling."
Drew Farrington, University Democrats president, said he believes otherwise.
"Within the people that really care, I don't see any less excitement [for the 2012 election]," Farrington said.
"I think one main difference is the contrast between the candidates," he continued. "I think that really excites both sides and makes it all the more important to win."
Issues like marriage equality are reasons why Farrington said there is such a big difference between the two candidate's plan for the country.
"The things that are being proposed in the Republican Party ... take us back to the 1950s, and that's something the Democratic Party wants to fight against," Farrington said.
Kayleigh Mohler, College Republicans president, agreed that the candidates have vastly different plans in mind and added that young people have more concern than excitement.
"This election has a lot of repercussions for college students because this is going to probably determine the world that we graduate and walk out into," Mohler said. "Are we going to get jobs? Are we not going to get jobs? Am I going to go to grad school? Am I ever going to pay off that loan?"
Though the College Republicans and University Democrats don't agree on all of the issues, the organizations are focused on a uniting goal: educating and registering students to vote.
As far as events go, Mitch Isaacs, associate director of student life, said there aren't many differences between this year and 2008. These include voter registration tables, watch parties, a voting website and debates on campus.
"We're trying to bring our candidates on campus so students can educate themselves and make a more informed decision when they go to the polls," Farrington said.
One difference, though, between 2008 and now is a new committee of organizations, Isaacs said. This committee includes representatives from the Student Government Association, College Republicans, University Democrats, the Student Action Team and student media organizations.
"I think what that does is it creates more awareness about the things we're doing," Isaacs said. "It gives us more perspectives so the things we are doing, we can do better because we have more people talking about it and giving their opinions."
Read More
A Century of Life
By Katherine Hill / 20 hours agoJimmy Carter, America’s 39th and longest-living president, led a notable life beyond his four years served in office.
Indiana Capital Chronicle: The ABC’s of education bills – from dollars and cents to charters and teachers
By Indiana Capital Chronicle / YesterdayState lawmakers return to the statehouse this week and are expected to debate a slew of education-related proposals.
Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau resigns as Liberal Party leader
By Staff Reports / 3 days agoCanadian Prime Minister Trudeau is set to resign as Liberal Party leader, effectively ending nearly a decade in power.
