The millennial generation : a new group of young, political actors on the
      stage

Newman, Mark Leonard.

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Newman, Mark Leonard.

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Thesis (M.A.L.S.)--Georgetown University, 2008.; Includes bibliographical references. Millennials, born between 1982 and 2003, now comprise almost one-third of the U.S. population. Without their overwhelming support for his candidacy, Barack Obama would not have been able to secure his party's nomination or win the Presidential Election in 2008. Using generational theory, this thesis examines this age group to understand its characteristics, the values it brings to the political process, and its possible future impact on the political scene.; This thesis puts the Millennials into a context of other generation types which have dominated previous American eras. Further, it sets this generation within the context of the history of the successful fight for the 26th Amendment and successive elections in which relatively few young people cast a ballot.; This thesis then provides an exploration of the work organizations did to secure the youth vote in the past, as well as what strategies were employed in the 2008 election and are likely to be employed to insure the future involvement of this group in the political life of the country. Further, this thesis offers some preliminary analysis, suggesting that the 2008 election may well have been a realignment election to the left.; This thesis demonstrates that the question "Will young people vote?" is simply the wrong question to ask. In the end, the better question to ask is: "Will this generation of young people vote?" The answer, based on the findings of this thesis, is an unequivocal "Yes."