The Civics Center encourages Congress to pass the Freedom To Vote Act

The Freedom to Vote Act addresses many of the most critical challenges to our democracy, including gerrymandering and racially discriminatory election practices, and advances campaign finance reform. In addition, it establishes important national standards to protect youth, including a requirement for states to allow young people to preregister to vote beginning at the age of 16. 

At The Civics Center, we’ve long said that every high school graduate should understand how to participate fully in our democracy and how to register to vote. Once registered, young adults turn out to vote in presidential elections at rates approaching those of older Americans who are registered. The lack of a uniform national preregistration law presents a formidable obstacle to the creation of streamlined programs to help young people register to vote as soon as they are eligible. 

We applaud the inclusion of this and other reforms, such as automatic voter registration, which will help level the playing field and allow more of our younger, and future voters, to access the promise of our democracy. 

In our most recent elections, the nation watched as young people demonstrated not only record-breaking turnout but a renewed sense of civic engagement. We encourage young voters and future voters to bring that same energy to contacting their Senators today and asking them to enact the Freedom to Vote Act.