This holiday season, strengthen democracy with your family! From voter registration forms to trivia and creative projects, engage teens with these 5 impactful hacks.

The desire to pause after Election Day is real, but so is the call for action. Students and educators are asking for more—more tools, training, and opportunities to strengthen democracy. At The Civics Center, we see this as a chance to build lasting engagement and empower the next generation of leaders.

Under 15% of California’s more than 1.2 million 16- and 17-year-olds have preregistered to vote. The Governor doesn’t see the need for high schools to take up the problem.

On Giving Tuesday, your gift means everything to the health of our democracy and to our ability to make voter registration part of the high school experience for every American.

Many people don't realize that 16-year-olds can preregister to vote in California and several other states. With only 15% preregistered, increased awareness and support are needed to boost youth voter participation.

Reports on the 2024 election reveal the complex role young voters played, with varying data on their turnout and preferences. Understanding these early trends is crucial for developing future strategies to increase youth voter registration and engagement.

Laura W. Brill shares heartfelt 2024 election statements with 16 million students and 1 million educators, emphasizing respect, dignity, and hope for a thriving democracy.

Today’s election highlights the need for consistent support in voter registration. With over 60 million Americans unregistered, including 10 million young people, our democracy suffers. By focusing on high school registration and long-term funding, we can strengthen civic engagement and create lasting change.

Send this post to a friend in one of the 20+ states with same-day registration and ask them to make sure everyone knows about same-day registration (and plans to vote. Please restack to ask others, especially young people, to do the same.

Pennsylvania’s voter registration deadline was last week on October 21. As of that deadline, the statewide registration rate for 18-year-olds was 58.5%, up 3.9 percentage points week-on-week. The rate has more than doubled since June of this year.

Today, we’re sharing data from New Hampshire, a state with notoriously difficult registration rules. Low levels of registration for the youngest voters — the lowest of all the states we’re tracking — reflect the challenges.

As of October 19, 64.8% of 18-year-olds are registered to vote in Clark County, making the greater Las Vegas area one of the higher-performing urban areas we are tracking this election season. 

As of October 14, just one week before the October 21 registration deadline, only 54.6% of 18-year-olds are registered to vote in Pennsylvania. There are still 71,000 unregistered 18-year-olds across PA, a state where the margin of victory in the 2020 presidential election was just 81,660.

With rates of preregistration among 16- and 17-year-olds abysmally low, Governor Newsom thinks it isn’t a problem in need of solving.

Fewer than half of the 18-year-olds in New York State are registered to vote. That’s about 121,000 unregistered 18-year-olds. The deadline to register is October 26. That’s only 11 days away, and that’s the day voter registration applications must be received by elections officials, not merely mailed.

The registration rate for 18-year-olds in PA is still only 48.5% - a 2.6 percentage point increase since last week, but a deceleration from the 3 percentage point gain the previous week.

Real-life examples of students, educators, parents, and community volunteers who are helping to promote youth political participation and make voter registration part of high schools in their area.

As of October 1, 81% of 18-year-olds in Michigan are registered to vote. This is far and away the highest rate among states we’re tracking this election cycle.

With less than three weeks remaining until the state’s October 21 deadline, most 18-year-olds in the state (more than 85,000) are not yet registered to vote.

Maine and Virginia have drastically different performance in their 18-year-old registration rates. In both states, the registration rates for the youngest voters pale in comparison to those of older voters.