As early voting totals reach into the millions in Texas, research is zeroing in on the number of young people headed to the polls in an election year in which candidates hope the millennial vote can make a big impact.
But according to a new NBC News/GenForward Survey, only 31 percent of millennials ages 18 to 34 said they will definitely vote. Twenty-six percent said they probably will, a quarter were unsure whether they will and 19 percent do not plan to vote.
With millennials on track to eclipse the once mammoth baby boomer generation, their influence has become front of mind for political candidates and retailers alike.
"I think that 50 to 80 percent of our companies come to us and say we just don't know how to reach them," said IT Crowd Marketing account manager Jasmine Marie.
She said connecting with a generation raised on technology created similar challenges for businesses and politicians.
"It has to be about instant gratification. Unfortunately with our government, nothing is instant. So you see a group of people driven by, 'How does this help me now? How does this make my life better now?'" Marie said.
But they are trying, and there's other data to suggest the efforts will be rewarded on election night. Data firm Target Smart said Thursday that the number of first-time voters under 30 years old in Texas exceeds the total number of first-time voters in any other state.
