Wisconsin: Fewer than 1,500 18-year-olds in Milwaukee and Dane Counties are registered to vote. New research shows an urgent need for high school voter registration.

Summary

In Wisconsin’s two most populous counties, the overwhelming majority of 18-year-olds are not yet registered to vote.  

Just 4.5% of 18-year-olds in Milwaukee County and 10.5% of 18-year-olds in Dane County are registered to vote. 

New research supports an immediate need to help high school seniors register to vote before they graduate this spring.

Background

Wisconsin youth are expected to play an important role in the November 2022 statewide elections for US Senate and for Governor.   

That impact will be muted, however, if youth are not registered to vote at high rates. 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 Wisconsin’s two most populous counties are registered to vote at very low rates (4.5% in Milwaukee County, and 10.5% in Dane County). Low registration rates among school districts in these counties suggest a similar trend likely exists throughout the state. With elections for the U.S. Senate and House, Governor, State Senate and Assembly, and more to be decided by the upcoming midterm elections, urgent action is needed to ensure that the state’s youngest voters have a chance to exercise their right to vote in their first election. Students, parents, teachers, schools, and school districts all have an important role to play.

Key findings

Milwaukee County: Only 4.5% of 18-year-olds are registered to vote (570 registered voters out of an estimated population of 12,558 18-year-olds). 

Dane County: Only 10.5% of 18-year-olds are registered to vote (773 registered voters out of an estimated population of 7,375 18-year-olds). 

Combined rate:  Looking at both counties together, 1,343 18-year-olds are registered out of an 18-year-old population of nearly 20,000, leading to a combined rate of just 6.7%.

Looking specifically at school districts within Milwaukee and Dane counties:

• Of the 36 school districts examined, only one achieved a registration rate higher than 20% for 18-year-olds (24.5%, Greenfield School District in Milwaukee County).

• The most populous district in Milwaukee County, Milwaukee School District, achieved an estimated 18-year-old registration rate of just 2.5%.

• In the most populous district in Dane County, Madison Metropolitan School District, an estimated 11.4% of 18-year-olds are registered.

• In more than half of the school districts in both Dane County and Milwaukee County, fewer than 10% of the 18-year-olds are registered to vote.

2022 Future Voter Scorecard: Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

2022 Future Voter Scorecard: Dane County, Wisconsin

Methodology

Data on the number of 18-year-olds registered in each school district were provided by the Wisconsin Elections Commission as of January 3, 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

The most important course of action to prepare Wisconsin for strong youth electoral participation is to register age-eligible youth voters. Students can play an enormous role in encouraging their peers to register. Educators, parents, and community leaders also play an important role. 

Political campaigns often struggle to encourage youth voter turnout, largely because young people who are not registered are, by definition, not in the voter file. 

The Civics Center will be holding workshops in February and March to train high school students in how to hold voter registration drives in their schools. Because the greatest numbers of high school seniors are eligible to vote in the spring, high school voter registration drives in Wisconsin can be timed to complement other events that highlight the end of the school year. High school voter registration provides among the most effective means of reaching future voters from diverse backgrounds, especially those who may not attend college in the fall.

Wisconsin’s upcoming Spring Election for judicial races is set for April 5, 2022. The Primary Elections for the General Midterm Elections will take place on August 9, and the General Election will take place on November 8. In Wisconsin, high school voter registration efforts are most likely to yield the greatest number of registrations in mid-April through the end of the school year, when most seniors will be age-eligible to register. 

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.  Asteris Dougalis, a student at Northwestern University, provided significant research assistance for this effort.