Plugged In or Tuned Out? Youth, Race, and Internet Usage in the 2008 Election

Over the course of the last three presidential elections, young voters and minorities have become an increasingly sought after segment of the electorate. In particular, youth are also the most likely to be the beneficiaries of advances to technology, while minorities often lag behind in access. The 2008 election provided a number of examples of campaigns utilizing online technology as a means of targeting young voters. This article examines the influence of the Internet on young and minority voters, focusing specifically on Internet use for political purposes, such as visiting a candidate's Web site or engaging in political discussions on blogs, as predictors of youth political participation offline. The authors find that engaging politics online leads to increases in political participation offline and that among younger voters, racial minorities are as connected as whites. However, among older voters, whites are far more likely to have access to and use the Internet politically.