In Ohio, where youth could decide the US Senate race, fewer than 25% of 18-year-olds in the state’s largest counties are registered to vote
Summary
In Ohio’s two most populous counties, Franklin and Cuyahoga, under 25% of 18-year-olds are registered to vote. The deadline to register to vote in time for the upcoming May 3 election is April 4, 2022. There is an immediate need to help high school seniors register before they graduate this spring.
Background
Ohio youth can play a large role in determining the outcome of the November 2022 statewide elections for US Senate, Governor, and State Supreme Court. The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) ranks Ohio as one of the top 10 states for potential youth voter impact in the Senate race.
This impact will not be fully realized, however, if youth are not registered to vote at rates higher than they are today. This research report, just released by The Civics Center, a national nonpartisan, nonprofit organization focused on high school voter registration and civic engagement, shows that 18-year-olds in Ohio’s two most populous counties are registered to vote at very low rates (21.1% in Cuyahoga County, and 18.8% in Franklin County). These low rates threaten to undercut the power of youth voters.
Students, parents, educators, and school district leaders can all play an important role in helping young people register to vote.
Key findings
Cuyahoga County: Only 21.1% of 18-year-olds are registered to vote.
Franklin County: Only 18.8% of 18-year-olds are registered to vote.
Looking specifically at school districts within Franklin and Cuyahoga counties:
37 of the 47 school districts examined had registration rates below 35%.
Only 3 school districts in the examined counties achieved a registration rate of over 50% (Grandview Heights City, Upper Arlington City, and Beachwood City). These districts are estimated to have 18-year-old populations of a few hundred or fewer.
The most populous district in Franklin County, Columbus City, achieved an estimated 18-year-old registration rate of just 12.9%.
In the most populous district in Cuyahoga County, Cleveland Municipal School District, an estimated 16.6% of 18-year-olds are registered.
In Cuyahoga County, the difference between most and least registered school districts is 67.7 percentage points.
2022 Future Voter Scorecard: Franklin County, Ohio
2022 Future Voter Scorecard: Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Methodology
Registered voter counts were obtained from the official state voter file, current as of February 2022. We estimated the total 18-year-old population in each district using population data from the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year estimates). We then found the estimated voter registration rate by comparing the registered population to the total population; districts were ranked by their voter registration rate for 18-year-olds.
Solutions
To encourage youth electoral participation in Ohio, youth voter registration efforts are critical. High school students have the unique ability to conduct mass voter outreach amongst their peers. Parents, educators, and community leaders play an important role in supporting these efforts and encouraging youth civic engagement. Ohioans can make use of online voter registration to efficiently increase youth registration rates.
The Civics Center will be holding workshops in March and April to train high school students in how to hold voter registration drives in their schools. Peer-to-peer high school voter registration is among the most effective ways to reach voters from diverse backgrounds. High school voter registration drives timed with the end of the school year allow the greatest number of high school students age-eligible to register to vote. It is especially important to hold these drives before the end of the school year to effectively target students who may not attend college in the fall.
In addition, the first 100 high school students and educators from Ohio can order free stickers to distribute at their school by filling out this form.
Primary Elections for the 2022 General Midterm Elections in Ohio are set for May 3, 2022. The General Election will take place on November 8th. To be eligible to vote in the May 3rd primary Ohio youth must register by April 4th.
To learn more about how you can help improve youth voter registration, visit https://thecivicscenter.org/volunteer.
Previous Publications from The Civics Center
The following publications provide additional information and data regarding registration and pre-18 registration across the country:
In Pennsylvania school districts, most 18-year-olds are not registered to vote ahead of 2022 midterm elections (Jan 4, 2022)
Low Voter Registration Rates Among Teens Threaten To Depress Youth Voter Turnout in 2022 Midterm Elections (Dec. 16, 2021)
Research Report: In Arizona’s two largest counties, fewer than 15% of 18-year-olds are registered to vote(Dec. 1, 2021)
The CA Gubernatorial Runoff’s Low Impact on Youth Preregistration Rates (Oct. 26, 2021)
Stop Being Invisible (Sept. 27, 2021)
Introducing Future Voter Scorecards: OC Edition(Sept. 8, 2021)
Future Voters and Gaps in Our Democracy: A Report and Call to Action on the 50th Anniversary of the 26th Amendment (Mar. 23, 2021)
Laura W. Brill is the founder and Executive Director of The Civics Center. James F. Wenz is the Associate Director of The Civics Center. Isabelle Shapiro and Livia Polise, a student at Brown University. Isabelle Shapiro, who will be attending Brown University in the fall, provided significant research assistance for this effort.