Why millennials have become the swing vote in 2016

If anyone cared about statistics anymore, they would show that 2016 has a clear swing vote: millennials.

Now that the race is actually close and we have a debate tonight, the campaigns need to focus on persuadable voters. A record-smashing audience will likely tune in tonight, but many or even most of those voters have already made up their minds, unless something massive happens tonight. At least, that’s what the polls are telling us.

In McClatchy/Marist’s latest poll, only 2 percent of the country says they are “undecided.” In the Economist/YouGov’s latest data, only 5 percent says they are “not sure yet.” So, why bother having debates if everyone has their mind made up?

Because “undecided” isn’t the only measure of if someone is persuadable. This is where millennials come in.

Millennials aren’t any more likely to say they are “undecided” than any other demographic in any recent poll. But, they are more likely to lead these two other categories that show they’re still persuadable: (1) wouldn’t vote and (2) voting for a third-party candidate.