We should pat ourselves on the back...unless you didn't vote..then don't pat yourself on the back

"Washington - Young voters carried more political weight in Wisconsin than in virtually any other state in the Nov. 7 midterm elections.

That is one of the most striking findings about the state in an examination of exit poll data from across the country.

Voters age 18-29 made up 17% of the Wisconsin electorate - more than anywhere else except Montana (also 17%). Nationally, young voters made up between 12% and 13% of the electorate.

"We lost all these college-town seats," Janesville congressman Paul Ryan said. "The marriage amendment clearly complicated the turnout situation, which did not play to our benefit in many ways."

According to a preliminary national estimate by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at the University of Maryland, about 24% of eligible voters between 18 and 29 went to the polls Nov. 7, up from 20% in the last midterm in 2002. National turnout for voters of all ages is estimated at a little more than 40% in 2006."