What interests me about the Youth vote is what their normal is–as a part of their political environment. For their whole lives, abortion has been legal, homosexuality acceptable, and ethnic diversity a normal part of their culture. I think the fiscally conservative part of the Republican platform could win more of the Youth vote because no one under age 30 expects to retire after 25-35 years with the same company. They have been raised in an adaptable, fluid job market, where a good position lasts 10 years at most and retirement plans are purchased individually. But the Republicans would have to modify–possibly even dump–large chunks of the right-wing social agenda in order to appeal to them. For the millennials, even more than Gen X and Gen Y, religious, racial, and sexual diversity is taken for granted, and the rights and opportunities fought for by older generations naturally belong to all people.
For a look at their numbers and how they affected the 2012 election, check out PolicyMic at http://www.policymic.com/articles/18900/electoral-college-results-how-the-youth-vote-cost-romney-the-presidential-election.
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