With the presidential election occurring in November, many young Americans will have the opportunity to vote for the first time; however, numerous young people don’t vote at all. According to the New York Times, less than half of young Americans have voted in recent presidential elections. In total, young Americans voted at a 15 percent lower rate than the national average (nytimes.com). This astonishing lack of youth voter turnout stems from minimal education on government and political candidates and issues not targeting younger demographics.
Young Americans are often not provided with the knowledge necessary to explore the voting process. The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, or CIRCLE, said that young Americans do not know enough about the voting process and registering to vote, nor do they know enough about the political candidates and parties to confidently vote. The CIRCLE website states, “22 percent of youth, ages 18-21, who were not registered to vote, said they did not know how to do it. 46 percent of youth, ages 18-29, weren’t contacted by either major political party or campaign” (circle.tufts.edu). High school teachers, especially those who teach seniors, should consider educating their students about the voting processes along with the candidates and the issues on the ballot.
Young people are concerned with a wide variety of political issues, and they feel that these issues aren’t always addressed by major political candidates, which may be a contributing factor to the overall lack of voting by America’s younger population. Junior Blaize Roth said that he feels that politicians are out of touch and therefore don’t appeal to the younger generations. He believes that by making an effort to appeal to young people and inform them on politics, voter turnout will improve. Roth specified that he believes many young people don’t realize the power of the vote. “Your vote is your voice,” said Roth.
Senior Malek Asiad believes that there are diverse values among young voters. Asaid said, “Everyone is worried about all these different things. Some people you talk to are really passionate about abortion rights and foreign affairs, but if you talk to someone else, they care about completely different things. The homeless problem is a big deal in San Diego, but it feels like none of the candidates pay attention to it.” If politicians want younger people to vote, they need to address the issues that young people are concerned with.
People of all age groups recognise the need for young voters. UC High Parent Anne Sibica expressed her belief in the importance of voting. Sibica said, “Young people are so much more diverse than they used to be, and they have more diverse needs. Voting is how
those needs can be addressed. You can’t complain about who’s in office if you chose not to vote.” Parents should encourage their kids to vote.
The rate at which young people are dissatisfied with the sitting president is disproportional with the rate at which young people are voting. According to National Public Radio, 62 percent of Americans aged 18 to 29 have an unfavorable opinion of President Joe Biden. That is 17 percent higher than the amount of young people voting in national elections (npr.org). If young people are unhappy with those making decisions in our country, then it is their responsibility to elect people they feel accurately represent their interests.
Many young Americans take to their phones to promote their political ideas over social media. While this can be a good way to stir up support for a movement, it has not seemed to bring voters to the polls yet. According to CIRCLE, only 45 percent of young people have used social media to raise awareness about a political cause (circle.tufts.edu). This figure lines up with the proportion of young Americans voting. This suggests that the people doing the promoting are the only ones voting, and they are not yet effectively drawing others to the polls to create change.
Since the numbers support the idea that online activism doesn’t yet seem to drive voters to the polls, creating a more equitable voter turnout should involve current voters voting in people who support programs that will increase youth voter turnout. According to CIRCLE, programs and policies that would improve young voter turnout could include increasing civic learning in schools, promoting information on the registration process and making pre-registration at the ages of 16 and 17 more accessible (circle.tufts.edu).
Young people want their voices to be heard, and they express their needs in a variety of ways. Promoting a political cause or belief only takes a few clicks. But at the end of the day, all of the digital publicity doesn’t seem to have the ability to rack in votes. If the voice of the young people is to be heard, the young people need to vote.