Steyer optimistic young voters will show turnout gains

DES MOINES - Tom Steyer is working against historical trends, but his optimism has not waned.

Steyer - the billionaire California businessman, Democratic mega-donor and potential presidential candidate in 2020 - through his group NextGen America hopes to motivate young voters to turn out for this fall's midterm elections.

Historically, the nation's youngest voters are the least likely to cast a ballot, especially in non-presidential elections.

Steyer hopes that changes this year.

'We are hopeful that this will be the generation-defining election, that this is the one where the largest age cohort in the United States shows up and asserts its values,” Steyer said Wednesday during an interview in Des Moines.

Steyer is in Iowa this week for events at Drake University and University of Iowa.

Steyer said he thinks the midterms will be a referendum on President Donald Trump and policies enacted by Republican-led lawmakers at the federal and state levels. He thinks voters are upset by GOP policies on and funding for health care, education and government budgets.

'We are going to win because we're right and we are going to roll these people up. No joke,” he said. 'But when that happens, I don't know.”

Americans 18 to 29 years old have turned out at the lowest rate of any age group - by a wide margin -- in every election since 1986, according to U.S. Census data compiled by the U.S. Elections Project.

Roughly 20 percent to 40 percent of voters ages 18 to 29 voted in the elections between 1986 and 2016; other age groups turned out at rates of 40 percent to 70 percent.

In 2016, 18- to 24-year-old Iowans had the state's lowest share of registered voters and the lowest turnout rate. Fewer than half of those young Iowans were registered to vote in 2016 - compared with 66 percent to 81 percent of older age groups - and a meager 36 percent of those young Iowans voted that year - compared with 54 percent to 77 percent turnout rates among older age groups.

Steyer said when he talks to young people, the most common reason they state for not voting is their feeling that their vote does not matter, that the electoral system does not work.

Steyer's group NextGen America is working at the grass-roots level to get young people registered to vote and then sustain contact with them and encourage them to cast a ballot.

'Hopefully, what '18 will show is that young people realize that not voting has a gigantic cost, and if they show up then the system will work and democracy will work,” Steyer said. 'But if they don't participate, then it really is a disaster.”

In 2008, 59 percent of Iowans 18 to 24 years old voted; just 36 percent of that age group voted in 2016, according to U.S. Census data compiled by the state.

Young voters in 2008 were motivated largely by then-presidential candidate Barack Obama. There is no presidential election this year, but Steyer thinks candidates like Fred Hubbell, the Democratic nominee for governor, could resonate with young voters.

'I think the candidates really do matter,” Steyer said. 'Honestly, if you said demographically, do you think Fred Hubbell is exciting? Not on the demographics. But if you listen to what he has to say, he has really substantive things to say.” And I think that he's somebody who is really credible and really smart and thoughtful, and is presenting a really stark difference from (Republicans).”

The Republican Party of Iowa responded to Steyer's appearance in Iowa with a statement questioning whether Iowa Democratic congressional candidates' priorities align with Steyer's, accusing him of wanting to raise taxes, socialize the nation's health care system and impeach Trump.