By 2025 at the latest, about half the voters in America and most of those in western European countries will be over 50—and older people turn out to vote in much greater number than younger ones.

Academic studies have found no evidence so far that older voters have used their power at the ballot box to push for policies that specifically benefit them, though if in future there are many more of them they might start doing so

A new study from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University shows that today's youth vote in larger numbers than previous generations, and a 2008 study from the Center for American Progress adds that increasing numbers of young voters and activists support traditionally liberal causes.

More young voters are going to the polls than before

Young voters played a decisive role in Obama's election.

He thought he was a good public official, but the voters obviously thought otherwise— Their vote was inconsistent with his self-concept.

It is also troubling that voting rates among our youngest eligible voters—18- to 24-yearolds— are way down: little more than one in four now go to the polls, even in national elections, compared with almost twice that many when 18-year-olds were first giv

But unlike their absolutist counterparts in the Gulf and Asia, most royal families have survived because they allow voters to avoid the difficult search for a non-controversial but respected public figure.