Young People Made Themselves Heard In Iowa: 'Our Generation Knows What's At Stake'

When the group saw the initial entrance poll data on Monday, they were ecstatic, and tweeted “Looks like we're a force to be reckoned with,” from their account.“For young people who have a lot going on in their lives, it’s a big commitment to turn out for the caucus,” Stephen O’Hanlon, Sunrise Movement communications director, told MTV News. “The fact that so many young people turned out is really notable, and is a sign of what’s to come in the coming months as we go through other primaries and caucuses.” He added that the rise in youth voter turnout in Iowa will likely be replicated in other states, where voting is imminent or has already begun.“If young people are willing to put in the time in Iowa, they’re definitely going to be willing to go vote in primaries, in New Hampshire, and on Super Tuesday,” he said. Almost all of those points were taken from that middle-aged group.” Per the Post’s entrance poll, 28 percent of Democratic caucus-goers in Iowa were between the ages of 45 and 64.The dismissive write-off that young people “don’t care” about politics has been debunked plenty of times before, and data like this suggests that campaigns who still ignore the demands of an increasingly progressive bloc are all but ensuring their own failure.