New York expanded voter preregistration to age 16. A year later, and with a Mayoral election on the horizon, most people haven’t noticed.
In 2020, New York State began allowing young people to preregister to vote when they turn 16. These preregistered youth are automatically registered to vote upon turning 18. By enacting this law, New York took an important step toward improving youth voter registration and turnout rates. Studies have shown that preregistration has a significant impact on increasing youth voters’ participation rates.
And yet, only 61,567 of the State’s 16- and 17-year-olds were preregistered to vote as of April 2021. That represents just 13% of the approximately 484,317 youth in that age demographic. In the five counties comprising New York City, the rate of preregistered 16- and 17-year-olds is even lower: a mere 8%. Richmond County (Staten Island) leads the five boroughs with a 19% preregistration rate, while Bronx County has the lowest rate at 4%. This information is based on preregistration data collected from the New York State Board of Elections and population estimates based on U.S. Census Bureau data.
Voter Preregistration in New York State (as of April 2021)
The primary election for New York City Mayor is only a month and a half away, and with polls showing a wide-open race, youth voters have the potential to make a significant impact. An estimated 48,760 New York City youth will have turned 18-years-old between the 2020 general election and the upcoming primary election’s registration deadline on May 28, 2021. Approximately 82,517 youth will be able to vote in the New York City Mayor’s race who were too young to vote in November 2020. This data is based on population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The upcoming Mayor’s race presents a great opportunity for local boards of elections and high schools to raise awareness about New York’s preregistration law. With nearly one month until the registration deadline, and public schools in session until late June, New York City schools have sufficient time to provide their students with meaningful opportunities to preregister and preregister to vote. Given this opportunity, these youth voters could play a decisive role in the election.
New York State has an immense opportunity to prepare its youth to become lifelong voters, starting in the first election in which they are eligible to vote. Before the law went into effect, we conducted a survey of 36 county boards of elections to determine what preparations were being taken to implement the new law. Just one county board of elections had an education campaign planned, and none had plans to track the number of preregistered youth. More than a year later, the State’s preregistration rate is embarrassingly low. It’s time for the governor, legislature, and county boards of elections to act in order to realize the fullest potential of voter preregistration at 16.