Florida Vote Could Hinge on Youth, for a Change

Florida is used to being the center of attention in election years, but senior centers and condo complexes no longer wield all the power. The swing state may have reached the point where its under-30 residents can tip the balance to Barack Obama, reports Time. Florida’s population is actually getting younger overall, which is helping Obama in a state thought to lean toward the GOP.

And this year, traditionally unmotivated youth voters may feel they can’t afford complacency, and might actually show. “Young people here grew up thinking this state was always flush, always on the upswing. Now there's a sense that something is burning here,” says a political scientist. "The campaign in Florida is playing out as much on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter as it is on television." (More Florida voting stories.)