This dissertation focuses on the development of political identity rather than treating identity as a given. Identity is a way for us to define who we are. In relation to voting behavior, knowing who we are politically, I argue, increases participation. For youth, finding a political identity is no longer aided by simply adopting party identification, but has many different environmental influences most importantly the role of political leaders in shaping one’s identity. Inspirational leaders encourage youth participation in a number of ways. Some youth, they have not yet developed a political identity and default to saying they are Independents. For others, being an Independent is a conscious identity but may not be represented in the political environment of candidate choices. Both cases of being an Independent decrease youth turnout. I examine political identity, inspirational leadership and political independence by looking at the American National Election Study (ANES) data, and conducting my own in-depth interviews.