Putting pot on the ballot increases young voter turnout– a lot. While the youth vote hovered at 18% in 2008, states that had legalization on the ballot this election saw young people coming out in much greater numbers. Take a look at this graph  from Jon Walker at Firedog Lake’s Just Say Now column.

Clearly, pot policy reform is a hot-button issue for young voters, a fact that many worried might even  swing Colorado to legalization-advocate and Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson. It was a legitimate concern for Democrats, as marijuana legalization in Colorado actually nabbed 50,000 more votes than Obama. In WA, Obama came out ahead of legalization by just less than half a percentage point. In other states, too, voters’ interest in pot policy reform was clear. Massachusetts legalized medical marijuana, and Michigan passed a variety of pot policy reforms, including limited legalization in Detroit and Flint and decriminalization in Grand Rapids.

Take-away point? Pot politics are no laughing matter.