CIRCLE just released an update on youth turnout. They are estimating that youth turnout in 2008 increased by at least 2.2 million votes over 2004. Not all precincts are reporting, and there is still a lot of absentee and early votes to count, so it's highly possible that we will see that number rise.
Unfortunately, they are still not able to provide, with any certainty, hard numbers on the youth turnout percentage. They can, however predict that it will increase, and that increase will lie within a range of 1 to 6 percentage points. That would put youth turnout yesterday somewhere between 49.3 and 54.5%. To put that into historical perspective (pdf), the low end will represent the third highest youth turnout ever recorded, following only 1992 and 1972. The high end - 54.5% - will represent the second highest youth turnout ever, lagging only behind 1972, the year that 18, 19 and 20 year-olds were first granted the right to vote.
Read More