Youth Voting: The secret weapon we can all use to strengthen our democracy (and why it remains unappreciated)
I was speaking with a knowledgeable group of professionals who care about democracy, and I brought up what has become my obsession: “high school voter registration.”
And then it started: the four phases of denial.
The responses are always the same, and they go something like this:
Denial 1:
“High school voter registration? That won’t work. Young people don’t care.”
Me:
“Well, actually, that’s just a stereotype. The young people I talk to care a lot about the world around them and public policy issues relating to climate change, gun safety, student debt, abortion, mental health, and much more.”
Denial 2:
“Sure, but young people can’t register until they’re 18, by which time they’re out of high school. And all those college campuses do it.”
Me:
“Actually, 50% of US teens can preregister as early as 16, and another 20% can do it around 17. That way, they’re all set to vote as soon as they turn 18. The remaining 30% of youth live in states with more restrictive laws, but even in these states, most young people are old enough to register before they graduate from high school. Also if we assume college campuses will cover it, we’re missing the 40% who don’t go to college.”
Denial 3:
“Oh I didn’t know that. Then I’m sure parents and social studies teachers are taking care of it already.”
Me:
“Unfortunately, no. Almost everywhere we’ve looked, most high schools are doing little or nothing to implement their state’s voter registration laws. We’ve been issuing report after report showing that in most places fewer than 30% of 18-year-olds are registered. In fact, if 18- and 19-year-olds were registered at the same rates as voters 45 and above, we’d have 2 million more registered voters in every 2-year election cycle.”
Denial 4:
“Wow. But I still can’t see what difference it makes since everyone knows young people don’t vote. I just read that only 23% turned out in the midterms.”
Me:
“That number represents the percent of all youth who turned out, and doesn’t take into account how few were registered and able to vote in the first place. At The Civics Center, we’re encouraged by turnout among registered youth. In New Hampshire, for example, 83% of registered youth voted in the 2022 midterms! When we look at Presidential years, like 2024 will be, the numbers are very high. In every Presidential election going back to 2004, among 18- to 24-year-olds who were registered, more than 75% turned out to vote. Everywhere we look, in highly publicized elections where young people know what is at stake, they turn out at high rates when they are registered.”
The AHA moment:
“Wow. I guess what you’re saying is that the task of registration itself is a barrier, and we should be working to make it easy and available in every high school in America. Students want to do it, and teachers can help them. If we can help make it happen, young people really can make a difference in 2024 and beyond. Even this year, 18-year-olds can make a difference in Ohio and Virginia and everywhere else holding important elections.”
Me:
“Exactly! ”
Them:
“I know teens and educators. I’m on it. Why didn’t anyone tell me sooner?”
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