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2016 MILLENNIAL MEMO (February 10, 2016): Keeping tabs on higher education debates

2016 MILLENNIAL MEMO (February 10, 2016)

271 days to go…

Happy Hour Edition! Sorry for the delay, folks. New Hampshire has been a little slow at reporting final vote tallies. I guess even precinct moderators need a good night’s sleep. If last night made anything clear, it is that this nominating process is going to take a while, and young voters are playing an increasingly important role in both the Democratic and Republican contests. Settle in and get comfy. Sign up for updates here, and share this week’s memo with your BFFs.

IF YOU READ ONE THING–WHERE YOUNG VOTERS ARE MOST LIKELY TO TURN AN ELECTION: Late last week, CIRCLE released a model called the Youth Electoral Significance Index, which gauges where young voters stand to have the greatest impact on determining election outcomes in Presidential, Senate, and House contests. The index’s methodology relies on a number of factors, including demographic data & context, past youth voter engagement, and the potential leverage of the youth vote. Feast your eyes!

OVERALL YOUTH TURNOUT BREAKS RECORDS IN NH’S PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY CONTESTS: According to CIRCLE, more voters ages 18 to 29 turned out to vote in this year’s presidential primary contests than ever before (88,508). That’s more than 4,000 more young people voting this year than in 2008. This represents 42 percent of all 18- to 29-year-old Granite Staters — just under 2008’s 43 percent youth turnout rate. Young voters in the Granite State also set a record for the share of the primary electorate between the ages of 18 and 29: 17 percent. “It’s important to remember that New Hampshire’s primary is semi-open, and any unaffiliated registered voter can participate. That may be especially critical for young people, who have eschewed party affiliation nationally.”

YOUNG DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY VOTERS ARE (STILL) FEELING THE BERN: On the heels of his strong finish with young voters in Iowa, Senator Sanders proved in New Hampshire that his success with young voters the week prior was no fluke. In fact, 83 percent of young NH voters (ages 18 to 29) supported Sanders — just under his (84 percent) performance with young voters in Iowa.

YOUNG REPUBLICAN PRIMARY VOTERS HELP PAD THE DONALD’S LEAD: Senator Cruz may have won the support of young voters in Iowa, but Donald Trump ran up the score with a strong performance among young Republican Primary voters last night. Trump won the support of 37 percent of 18- to 29-year-old Republican Primary voters, besting his overall lead of 35 percent. Cruz did come in second among young voters with 16 percent.

You might have heard, some campaigns plan to court voters of color aggressively over the next few weeks and months. Perhaps they should keep in mind…

WHY YOUNG VOTERS OF COLOR CAN’T WAIT… ON COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY: A recentYI report found that, on average, Young African-Americans need two additional levels of education to have the same chance of getting a job as their young white peers. Additionally, a degree’s marginal impact on wages is more than twice as great for young black men (+28 percent) as it is young white men (+13 percent).

WHY YOUNG VOTERS OF COLOR CAN’T WAIT… ON TACKLING STUDENT DEBT: In addition to a recent YI poll showing that 3 in 4 Millennial voters of color say that a candidate’s solutions to combat student debt will be a “major influencer” in determining who they vote for, research from Demos shows that “black and low-income students borrow more, and more often, to receive a bachelor’s degree, even at public institutions.”

WHY YOUNG VOTERS OF COLOR CAN’T WAIT… ON REFORMING HIGHER ED DATA: A recent YI report on racial disparities in college major selection finds that Latino students are underrepresented in almost all of the top-paying majors and that African-American students are overrepresented in 4 of the 6 lowest-paying majors. Additionally, African-Americans have fallen far behind in math & statistics, engineering, and physical sciences. A new higher education data infrastructure wouldn’t undo systemic racism that contributes to these disparities, but it could map out which programs are leading to certain salaries and careers, thus equipping students with more information on what institution and program to pursue.

CLINTON ACCUSES STUDENT LOAN SERVICER NAVIENT (FORMERLY SALLIE MAE) OF “OUTRAGEOUS” BEHAVIOR: “Clinton said during a student town hall on Saturday that student loan servicer Navient Corp has been ‘misleading people’ and ‘doing some really terrible things.’ ‘Their behavior is outrageous,’ Clinton said at New England College, where she was campaigning ahead of the state’s nominating contest on Tuesday, Feb. 9… Navient is being investigated by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau over late fees and other matters, the company revealed in an August regulatory filing.” (Reuters, 2/6/2015)

BILL MAKES THE HARD SELL AS HILLARY PLAYS IT COOL WITH YOUNG VOTERS:“Clinton has adopted a patient approach with young voters. In her stump speech, Clinton notes that she shares Sanders’ commitment to reducing income inequality and making college and healthcare more affordable, before launching into a fluid, point-by-point argument about why her plans are more realistic. If Clinton is frustrated by the fact that so many young voters identify with Sanders, despite her lifetime of work on progressive issues, she does not let it show. The same cannot be said for her husband, who has escalated his attacks against Sanders in recent days. At a campaign stop on Sunday, Bill Clinton rebuked Sanders supporters for using sexist rhetoric in criticizing his wife online. The former president made a direct plea to younger voters yesterday, saying their lives would be ‘way better’ off under Hillary Clinton’s policies than if Sanders tried to enact a series of expensive proposals like free college tuition that stand little chance of passing through Congress. ‘Follow the adage your momma taught you,’ Clinton told a small crowd of supporters gathered at The Governor’s Inn in the town of Rochester. ‘If it’s too good to be true, it may be.’ In a brief interview as he worked the rope line after his speech, Clinton said he wasn’t surprised that young voters at this stage of the primary race find Sanders appealing. But he cautioned that public opinion might shift as the nomination process continues. ‘I think they’re trying to figure out what the differences are’ between the two candidates, Clinton said. ‘This is just the beginning of the skirmish.’ ‘We gotta have a debate,’ he added.” (PBS NewsHour, 2/9/2016)

IN 2012 SENATE RUN, CRUZ CALLED FOR STATES TO DISTRIBUTE FEDERAL STUDENT AID MONEY: According to Inside Higher Ed’s Michael Stratford, “Unlike his Democratic counterparts — as well as some of his fellow Republican challengers — Cruz has not formally outlined any specific policy proposals relating to higher education. However, Cruz has repeatedly promised he would get rid of the U.S. Department of Education as part of an effort to drastically shrink the size of the federal government. He said during his 2012 run for Senate that he would not completely eliminate federal student aid but would instead have individual states distribute that money.”

SANDERS HIGHLIGHTS INCREASED PELL & WORK STUDY INVESTMENTS FOR STUDENTS AT PRIVATE COLLEGES: New York Times reporter Yamiche Alcindor reports that when asked by a voter about what he would do to make college more affordable for students at private higher education institutions, Senator Sanders said: “I want to increase funding to them like Pell Grants and work study.”