One of the most frustrating aspects of the American political environment is the low rate of voter participation among the nation’s young people. Every election it seems we are told that the 18-29 year old demographic will actually turn out to have a voice in their country’s future, and every election, it seems, we are disappointed.
The same excuses are always trotted out-- the politicians don’t speak to their concerns, they can’t relate to the Party leaders, there’s too little honesty, yadda yadda yadda. But I think the biggest cause of this phenomenon may be that it simply takes too long for a person to appreciate the extent of damage resulting by his or her not voting.
It takes years to understand that an individual politician’s personal appeal (what most people say they vote for) is fairly irrelevant, and what is far more important is what a political party manages to do as a collective bloc, whether acting for the common good of the society, or with an intent to destroy or loot it to satisfy the desires of a tiny minority. By the time people have enough life experience to wise up to appreciate the difference, the damage has already occurred. And of course some people never wise up, and go to their graves, grinning to themselves in self-satisfaction and ignorance.
But there are some signs that this year may be different:
WASHINGTON — The pace of new voter registrations among young people in crucial states is accelerating, a signal that school shootings this year — and the anger and political organizing in their wake — may prove to be more than ephemeral displays of activism.
They could even help shape the outcome of the midterm elections. If voters in their teens and 20s vote in greater numbers than usual, as many promised during nationwide marches for gun control this spring, the groundswell could affect close races in key states like Arizona and Florida, where there will be competitive races for governor, the Senate and a number of House districts in November.
The Times article cites increases in youth voter registration in states like North Carolina, Florida, and Pennsylvania, all ticking up substantially after the Parkland school massacre and the media coverage of the outspoken survivors of this new and horrific American “tradition.” The percentages of 18-29 year old registrations in those states jumped about 25% from prior levels. The registrations for Democrats under age 25 significantly outpaced Republican registrations, although the numbers were about equal in the over-25 age group. It also appears that cynicism about the voting process is thankfully waning among young people:
In addition to the registration figures, new polling of younger voters from the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics found a significant jump from two years ago in those who say their involvement will make a difference. Such optimism indicates a voter is more likely to actually turn out.
A lot of what we’re seeing in these numbers, left mostly implicit in the Times article, is the impact of parents. Young people generally vote the way their parents vote—it’s a simple matter of exposure and of shared values. With Democrats considerably more outraged than Republicans this year (because of Trump) and with a lot of participation by older Democrats in the protests and rallies over the past year and a half, there is going to be a corresponding increase in political awareness among the children of those Democrats. So groups that monitor voter registration data are cautioning it is “not possible to pinpoint whether the new voter registrations were driven by the marches or the Parkland shooting.”
The article mentions two groups, NextGen America (funded by Tom Steyer and others), which focuses on registering 18-35 year olds in Battleground states, and InspireU.S. which thus far has newly registered 41,000 high school students. Those who care about this issue should consider donating to these groups. And older parents should ensure that their children under 30 are registered to vote.
The pointless carnage wrought by these school shootings has left a deep personal impact on students nationwide, prompting organized, collective walkouts to protest school-related gun violence. Many of these walkouts and protests have had the support of local school administration and parents’ groups who are connecting more and more on social media. If anything good can come out of these tragedies, the participation of more young people in deciding the course of their futures will be it:
“When young people are thinking about their activism and voting at the same time, that’s actually something that hasn’t happened for the last eight years,” said Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, the director of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts, which studies political engagement of young Americans. “They are usually focusing on direct impact, and there is skepticism around ‘why should we vote.’ That sentiment is considerably less prominent. That gives me hope that this is actually an opportunity.”
We will not know until November whether these young non-voters have finally realized how critical voting is, but at least we can do everything possible to make sure that they do.
Please see also this Diary from Crashing Vor!