Pennsylvania’s Urgent Need for High School Voter Registration
Over 200,000 young people who are either 18 today or who will be 18 by November remain unregistered. In the ten highest population counties in the state, not a single one has a registration rate for 18-year-olds at or above 30%.
New York State Is Improving High School Voter Registration, and The Civics Center Is Taking it Even Further
New York is on the path to increasing high school voter registration dramatically, but more work is needed to ensure 250,000 high school seniors are registered before they graduate.
Make Graduation Season Voter Registration Season, too
High school voter registration is the most equitable, high-impact, and realistic path we have to universal voter registration and, from there, universal voting. That’s why we created Cap, Gown & Ballot.
Our Newest Voters Don’t Count (But They Should)
If the term “likely voter” were to reflect the full strength of young people who are actually likely to vote in November, pollsters would have to make some effort to find and to survey likely voters who are not yet registered.
California could add 100,000+ more young voters per year with Secure AVR
The DMV’s official website is inadvertently encouraging users to opt out of voter registration, and young people are impacted the most. More than 111,000 teens opted out in 2022 alone (more than 300 every day). Secure AVR would fix that.
U.S. Department of Education Promotes High School Voter Registration
Something big happened for American democracy last week. The U.S. Department of Education issued guidance to high schools to promote voter registration. The Promotion of Voter Participation for Students toolkit has the power to help millions of young Americans register to vote.
California and New York allow for preregistration at 16. Data show neither state is fulfilling the promise of these laws.
A shocking 1.25 million eligible teens – more than 80% in CA & NY – have not yet preregistered to vote, which suggest virtually no concerted effort to implement high school voter registration in the states’ most populous regions.
Ohio 18-year-olds are registering to vote in greater numbers; 100,000 remain unregistered
There has been a 35% increase in 18-year-old voter registration in Ohio since last August (approximately 3,000 additional registrations per month). But more than 100,000 18-year-olds remain unregistered to vote in January 2024.
NEW HAMPSHIRE REPORT: High School Outreach Program Contributes To Near-Doubling Of Voter Registration Rates Among 18-year-olds. Student leaders help overcome barriers to access.
The Civics Center and Open Democracy’s joint effort contributed to a 7.4pp increase in VR rates for 18-year-olds.
New Report Explains How States Can Support Youth Participation and Strengthen Young Voter Turnout
‘A Silenced Generation: How the Power of the Youth Vote Collides with Barriers to Voting’ explains how states can support young voters and strengthen turnout.
Pennsylvania alert: 51,000 18-year-old residents in Philly area/Allegheny remain unregistered in an election year
In Pennsylvania, more than 70,000 young people turn 18 every year in the state’s most populous regions, yet less than 19,000 18-year-olds in these areas are currently registered to vote.
It’s not apathy. It’s youth voter suppression.
The problem is not voter apathy, but the lack of investment in welcoming young people into our democracy, helping them register, teaching them how public issues connect with their lives, and showing why their votes matter.
Colorado Succeeds at Preregistration
Colorado’s voter preregistration rate is the highest of any we have seen across the country. As of September 12, 2023, it nearly triple the rates in California and New York.
NEW DATA: In California, only 12.9% of 16- to 17-year-olds are preregistered to vote
California’s law allowing young people to preregister to vote as soon as they turn 16 has been in effect since 2016, and eight years in, only 12.9% of the state’s 16- to 17-year-olds are preregistered to vote.
Attn: High School Seniors in NY-3!
9,000 18-year-olds have an opportunity to register and vote in the election to fill George Santos’s vacant seat.
Voter Preregistration Is Sweeping the Nation!
We love laws allowing for voter preregistration at age 16. The latest states to bring this wonderful opportunity to their residents are Illinois and Michigan.
Bring Young Voters Onto the Voter Rolls NOW
There is a persistent 25-40 percentage point gap in registration comparing 18 & 19 year olds to older Americans. The time to remedy that is now.
Calling Ohio: 100,000 18-year-olds remain unregistered to vote
Ohioans are set to go to the polls on November 7, 2023 to vote on two important ballot issues. But as of just a few weeks ago, more than 100,000 18-year-olds were not yet registered to vote.
I served as a law clerk to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Three years after her passing, her teachings about democracy resonate even more.
Wisconsin’s Newest Voters: Democracy Optimism and How to Build On It
Efforts to register and turnout the youngest voters in Wisconsin had enormous impact in statewide elections in the 2022 midterms and the 2023 judicial election for the Wisconsin Supreme Court.