STAMFORD, Conn., November 4, 2004 – Seventy-two percent of all first-time voters in Tuesday’s election were ages 18-29, far surpassing the number of first-time voters age 30 and older, according to exit polls conducted by the LA Times.

The LA Times poll also identified that the percentage of voters ages18-29 as a part of the voting electorate increased by 5% in 2004 as compared to 2000.

Analysis of the National Election Pool’s exit poll found that at least 20.9 million Americans under the age of 30 voted in 2004, an increase of 4.6 million over 2000[1], and the turnout rate among these voters rose from about 42.3 percent to 51.6 percent, a sharp rise of 9.3 percentage points. The analysis was conducted by The Center for Information & Research on Civic Leaning and Engagement (CIRCLE) using the final National Election Pool’s exit polls and an early tally of votes cast compiled. Voter turnout by younger voters was especially high in the contested battleground states.

These results exceeded the goals of the Smackdown Your Vote partners to (1) get 20 million 18-to 30-year-olds to vote in 2004, and (2) achieve an increase of 2 million more voters age 30 and under in 2004 compared to 2000.

Smackdown Your Vote! partners include Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, MTV’s Choose or Lose, The Harvard Institute Of Politics, Rock The Vote, 18TO35, Declare Yourself, The New Voters Project, World Wrestling Entertainment® (NYSE:WWE), Youth Vote Coalition, Citizen Change, and the League of Women Voters.

For more information go to civicyouth.org or smackdownyourvote.com.

Media Contacts:
Gary Davis, WWE, 203-353-5066