The Effects of Advertising on Young Voters in the 2004 Presidential Election

A study conducted by the Washington Post in 2002 found that “if current trends continue, the number of people 65 and older who vote…is likely to exceed that of young adults by a 4 to 1 ratio by 2022” (Goldstein and Morin). Although the number of people between the ages of 18 to 30 outnumbers the members of the population who have obtained senior status, presidential candidates seem to ignore this huge chunk of their constituency. In the 2004 presidential election, it seemed as though youth voters were targeted from every direction; the only pointer missing was that of the two presidential candidates themselves. 

Political advertising plays a major role in each electoral contest. While the majority of political spots are those sponsored by the primary candidates, some televised commercials evolve from different sources. The 2004 presidential contest was filled with an overwhelming number of attack ads from groups outside the major political parties, as well as an enormous amount of public service announcements prompting citizens to vote. A look at each type of ad within this election can help in an analysis of the media effects that they created. 

The country’s various media outlets have recognized the importance of the large group of inactive young voters. As a medium embraced by this demographic, television became the conduit employed by those who sought to reach these young voters. Playing on the commercial nature of the medium, these diverse political groups filled the major stations and prime viewing hours targeted at a young market with advertisements displaying their various causes. This analysis will focus on political ads aimed at young voters using content analysis and ending with a hypothesis of their overall effectiveness.