As voters get ready to cast their ballots in Iowa and New Hampshire, recent polls in both states have Sanders leading other Democratic presidential candidates. A key part of Sanders' campaign strategy is to get a lot more young people to turn out and vote.
Attending a Bernie Sanders campaign rally on a college campus is a little like going to a rock concert. There’s music, applause and whooping students.
And Sanders makes sure to tell those young people how important they are:
"The future of this country, and in fact, the world rests with your generation,” he says. “Your generation is the most progressive young generation in the history of the United States of America."
Then Sanders lays it on the line: If students turn out to vote, he'll be in great shape to win the Democratic nomination and maybe the presidency.
"If your generation, not only your generation, if people under 35 voted at the same percentage as people over 65, we could transform this country." — Bernie Sanders
"If your generation, not only your generation, if people under 35 voted at the same percentage as people over 65, we could transform this country,” Sanders says.
Compared to other age demographics, older voters are more likely to turnout.
So why is increasing the youth turnout rate so important to Sanders?
It's basic math. In the 2016 primary elections, roughly 20% of people under 30 voted. But in a number of states, the youth turnout rate increased by more than 30% compared to 2008, largely driven by strong support for Sanders.
Former NPR news editor and Political Junkie podcast host Ken Rudin thinks young people are drawn to Sanders' sense of urgency in dealing with major issues.
“Bernie Sanders is really talking a lot about the future, about economic insecurity and economic inequality, and young people, they hear the message,” Rudin said.
That message includes talk about climate change, health care, student debt and free college tuition. While some of the other candidates also are addressing these concerns, the Sanders campaign argues he has the most comprehensive position on all of these issues.
"Bernie Sanders is really talking a lot about the future, about economic insecurity and economic inequality, and young people, they hear the message." — Ken Rudin, "Political Junkie" podcast
While that might be an appeal, Sanders still needs to make sure young people turn out to vote.
Last week, the Sanders campaign went to Keene State College in New Hampshire to encourage students to vote for Sanders. The rally demonstrated both the potential and some of the difficulties with Sanders' youth strategy.
Junior Colleen Finn from Manchester, New Hampshire said she's already registered to vote and has plans to cast her ballot with a number of her friends.
“We all have early morning classes for the most part, so we're planning on going to breakfast, go to the election, do our vote, and then go to class by 10 o'clock,” Finn said. “We all know how important it is to make sure that our thoughts and issues are heard."
Sophomore Benji Dionne from Salisbury, New Hampshire plans to vote for Sanders, and he registered to vote the day of Sanders’ rally.
"It was super simple,” he said. “I had my photo ID and birth certificate on me, so it was perfect."
There are other students, however, who support Sanders and who are not registered to vote, at least not yet.
Among them: Sophomore Josie Sinopoli, from Burlington, Vermont.
“Hopefully soon,” she said. “So that would be good, supporting Bernie, my guy."
More from VPR: Sanders Elicits Passion, And Ambivalence, Among Iowa Voters [Nov. 1, 2019]
Others like freshman Sam Henry said he and his friends will encourage each other to vote, but made no promises.
“And we're all going to kind of hold each other accountable, because we're all passionate for it,” Henry said. “So you know, I think that is definitely something that is going to help. But you know, kids are kids, we're busy, we're at college, sometimes stuff happens. “
Younger voters are also giving money to the Sanders campaign this election cycle. According to campaign staff, Sanders has received more than a million contributions from people under 35 with an average donation of $20. This means donors can continue to contribute to Sanders in the coming months before they approach the cap of $2,800.
"What you get from them is a guarantee that they're going to support your candidacy, not just by voting and showing up, but by contributing money." — Matt Dickinson, Middlebury College
Middlebury College political science professor Matt Dickinson said that's a huge advantage for Sanders.
“What you get from them is a guarantee that they're going to support your candidacy, not just by voting and showing up, but by contributing money,” Dickinson said. “They're in it for the long haul, and that means Bernie's going to be in it for the long haul."
The question of whether young voters and their money can secure the nomination for Sanders is about to be tested. The Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Norwich University, Ted Kohn, remains skeptical.
“The support that they're getting through young people, through millennials, through their constant support is a winning strategy to keep Bernie in the race for arguably months to come,” Kohn said. “But is this the winning strategy come November? It's probably pie in the sky."
