Why Millennials Voted For the Libertarian In The Virginia Election

By Rachel Burger

In a recent viral video, movie star and bestselling author Russell Brand tapped into the Millennial psyche. In the interview with the BBC, Brand argues that the first world’s political system is broken. The solution? Don’t vote. Judging by the percentage of voters who made it out to the polls in Virginia yesterday, not everyone fully buys the message. Though some might argue that Millennials who voted “just threw our votes away.” [contextly_sidebar id=”6b97c1058eb162c35815e962706bfb6e”]

According to Rock the Vote, 61.1 percent of Virginian 18-29 year olds are registered to vote. And while the number of Millennial voters increased 3 percent in this election, they only made up 13 percent of Virginia’s voters. Female Millennials outvoted their male counterparts, and far fewer voted for the Republican candidate today than in 2009.

When Millennials did vote, they surprisingly opted for the Libertarian Party candidate Robert Sarvis more than twice as much as any other age group (15 percent). The reasons for this include that Millennials are sick of politicians bickering in a two-party system, that Sarvis’ policies actually help Millennials, and that Sarvis speaks our language.

It should come as no surprise that Millennials value cooperation. From a young age, education emphasized “teamwork,” “inclusivity,” and “getting along”— a far different childhood from do-it-yourself Generation X. And as Millennials emphasize conflict avoidance and cooperation, they expect the same from their elected officials.

The most recent government shutdown shows that Congress has become more polarized than ever, which is leading disillusioned Millennials away from the traditional political system. They are seeing that Democrats and Republicans are just not able to cooperate, so they are taking their business elsewhere, and the numbers show it. According to a 2012 study, almost half (45 percent) of Millennials are independents, whereas 33 percent are Democrats and 23 percent are Republicans. USA Today recently reported that many college-aged Millennials would welcome a third party.

When Millennials voted for Sarvis, they were voting “no confidence” in a polarized, uncooperative system.

Sarvis, of course, has his own merits with Millennial voters. He is socially liberal, a cornerstone of Millennial politics. He wanted to recognize same-sex marriage in Virginia (which 70 percent of Millennials agreed with in 2011), legalize marijuana (which 67 percent agree with), and enforce a progressive immigration policy (65 percent of Millennials believe immigration “strengthens society”). Throw in ambivalence about abortion, localizing public transportation legislation, and ending corporate subsidies, and we have ourselves a Millennial golden boy.

But policies aren’t the only deciding factor when selecting a candidate—likability still plays a huge role. Sarvis was born in 1976, whereas Ken Cuccinelli was born in 1968, and Terry McAuliffe 1957. If nothing else, Sarvis is closer to understanding my generation’s needs than Cuccinelli and McAuliffe, who are about as old as my parents. Because Sarvis is mixed-race and has an interracial family, he looks a lot more like my generation than the other two white dinosaurs who ran for office. Sarvis is not a Millennial, but who he is better represents my generation than the other guys.

To be sure, most Millennials voted for McAuliffe (45 percent), but that does not detract from the fact that more Millennials than any other age group opted for Sarvis. As my generation ages, the Republicans and Democrats will have to reform themselves if they hope to get our votes. If not, third-party candidates will become the next era of politics. Millennials are voting, and our votes are not going to sit in the trash bin for long.



Rachel Burger is a Young Voices Advocate and the associate editor of a popular news and politics blog. She writes frequently about social issues and foreign policy, and has been published in Thoughts on Liberty, Pocket Full of Liberty, and Aspyr’s GameAgent blog.