One of the most astonishing statistics that emerged from the Iowa Democratic Caucus is that Bernie Sanders received 84% of the vote from voters between the ages of 18-29. At first glance, this may sound like a positive development for his campaign. However, a familiarity with the history of the youth vote in the United States indicates that these numbers are less suggestive of success than they may appear.
On July 1st, 1971 the Twenty-Sixth Amendment, which lowered the United States voting age from twenty-one to eighteen, was ratified. However, according to the United States Census Bureau, only 50.9% of U.S. citizens between the ages of 18-24 voted in the 1972 Presidential election. While voter turnout has been decreasing for all age groups, the trend is particularly true with young voters. In 2012, the voting rate for Americans between the ages of 18-24 was only 38%. While it is true that with voting rates of about 42-45%, the 1992 and 2008 elections exhibited greater voter engagement among young Americans than previous elections, these rates were still many points below those of Americans over the age of twenty-five.
There are many factors that contribute to the low voter turnout amongst young Americans. One of the main obstacles preventing young Americans from voting is registration. Each state has its own registration process. While ten states do allow same day registration, many states require one to register at least thirty days before an election in order to participate. Likewise, while the list of states which allow online registration is growing, many still require physically mailing one’s registration form, something today’s millennials are less likely to do.
However, even after one has registered, voting is not so simple for young Americans. Many 18-24 year olds do not live in their “resident” states. Such Americans are presented with a few options. Thirty-seven states have an early-voting period or a designated time frame when one can come to the polls and vote prior to election day. Alternatively, all states will mail an absentee ballot to anyone who requests one. The only caveat is that in many states, an official excuse is required in order to receive the absentee ballot. Nevertheless, both options require advance planning, making the voting process significantly more difficult for young Americans.
Furthermore, aside from the more technical factors that lead to low voter turnout among the American youth, 18-24 year olds tend to find the entire voting structure to be unappealing. Young voters tend to support independent third party candidates. However, the two party, winner-take-all system prevents such candidates from having any sort of chance in the election; thus voting for such candidates is often viewed as futile. Furthermore, due to the important role money plays in campaigns, young voters often do not trust the candidates, believing that candidates will act in accordance to the desires of their main donors. The fact that the candidates who raise the most money generally win elections only works to support this view.
Another factor that contributes to low voting rates among young Americans is their disillusioned views of American authority. Millennials today are overwhelmed by tremendous debt and limited job opportunities. Polls indicate that they feel abandoned by their authority figures, namely Congress, the President, and both federal and state government figures. Additionally, most election campaigns focus on swing states and do little to target and reach out to young voters. Similarly, because young Americans are known to have low voting rates, candidates deem it a waste of time to invest in them, leading to a circle of neglect.
However, much is being done to encourage young Americans to vote. The use of social platforms such as Facebook and YouTube by Presidential candidates engages young voters who may not watch TV or read the newspaper. Additionally, many high schools now teach about the importance of voting, and some even have their students register to vote prior to graduating.
Small grassroots organizations also work to change young voting patterns. The League of Young Voters is an advocacy group that specifically works to increase the young voter turnout. Rockthevote.com is a user friendly website geared towards young Americans. It provides lots of information about voting sights and deadlines, and helps one register to vote through their website.
Despite low voting rates, the youth vote is important to election outcomes. Barack Obama would not have been elected as President without the support of young voters. The question now is what role the youth vote will play in the elections of 2016.