Soltis on the GOP and Young Voters

Kristen Soltis, a regular contributor here at Pollster.com, summarized her views on how the Republican Party can win back younger voters for the Huffington Post. Her bottom line:

In order to begin that effort, the GOP needs to have a positive message and vision that focuses on outcomes that matter to young voters. Right now, a lot of what Republicans are talking about is "less taxes" and "smaller government." But young voters are less convinced than older generations that the government tends to be inefficient and wasteful.

Among other issues, she also confronts the lack of diversity that was the subject of a widely read summary from Gallup this week that showing that 89% of Republican identifiers are white (or more specitically, non-Hispanic white) and 63% are white conservatives. Soltis:

Longer term, the Republican Party has to confront the issue of diversity. If the Republican Party retains a brand as the party tailor-made for conservative older white males, it will not survive for long. Consider the fact that younger voters represent a more ethnically diverse cohort than other generations. The issue of winning the youth vote is more and more inextricably linked to winning support among Hispanics and African-Americans.

There's much more, and it's worth clicking through for a full read.