Millennial discontent could cost Democrats at the ballot box

Like older voters, many millennials are unexcited about their choices for president. But if millennials sit this election out, it’s Democrats who will feel it most.

A new poll shows Hillary Clinton‘s massive advantage with millennials closing by 6 percentage points, falling from 68 percent to 62 percent. But this decline didn’t exactly translate into increased support for Donald Trump, who only saw a 1 point boost from 20 to 21 percent.

Clearly, many late-breaking millennials are wondering if a third-party vote or staying at home on Election Day is a better choice than Clinton or Trump.

How have Clinton and Trump failed to capture the enthusiasm of the youth vote?

Obviously, there’s the Bernie Sanders effect: Millions of young voters were attracted to the Vermont senator’s “outsider” campaign. Regardless of whether they agreed with all of his far-left policy prescriptions, millennials saw Sanders as honest and consistent, a person of high character willing to challenge the status quo in politics.