After the lengthy and messy struggle to extend voting rights to
18-year-olds, passage of the 26th Amendment in 1971 was expected to
herald a surge in youth civic participation. What actually
happened: youth voter turnout has never exceeded 55.4%.
LOS
ANGELES, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Drawing
on extensive research and real-world examples, A-Mark Foundation's
latest report, "Want More Youth Voting? We Know What Works.,"
identifies key factors that influence youth engagement in the
electoral process and offers actionable recommendations for driving
meaningful change.
Key findings of the report include:
- Make Voting Easier: Expanding access to voting through measures
such as early voting, absentee ballots, and mobile polling stations
can remove barriers that often deter young people from
participating in elections. One surprising finding is that civic
education in high school does not appear to have a noticeable
impact on voting in adulthood. Instead, it is having the
opportunity to vote that seems most impactful.
- Candidates and Issues Matter: Turnout can be spurred by a
galvanizing candidate and occasionally a hot-button issue, such as
abortion in the 2022 midterm election.
- Age Impacts Perspective: When people around the world were
asked whether voting in elections is very important to be a good
member in society, the United
States showed the largest gap between younger and older
voters. While 82% of those over 50 years old agreed with that
statement, only 47% of the 18-to-29-year electorate concurred.
- Restrictions Targeting Youth Voters Hurt Turnout: A growing
number of states require some sort of voter identification but
won't accept student ID cards, even from public institutions.
According to the Campus Vote Project, at least 12 states prohibit
using student IDs. In many of these states, permits to carry
concealed weapons are acceptable to vote but proof of attendance at
a public university is not.
- College Campuses Can Enact Change: Researchers found that
classroom-based registration drives increased registration by 6%
and voting by 2.6%. Face-to-face presentations work. Comparatively,
remote email messages, the researchers found, do not. Young people
vote when their peers encourage them to vote.
In light of the upcoming elections, the insights provided in
this report are more timely and relevant than ever.
"All citizens deserve the opportunity to have their voices heard
and their votes counted," said Rob
Eshman, CEO of A-Mark Foundation. "The strategies outlined
in this report show we can improve America's dismal youth voting
numbers — if we want to."
The full report is available at amarkfoundation.org. Founded in
1997, A-Mark Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is
to provide and promote unbiased, nonpartisan research and reporting
on critical issues. For more information, contact
info@amarkfoundation.org.
Media Contact
Rob Eshman, A-Mark Foundation,
213-700-0388, info@amarkfoundation.org,
https://amarkfoundation.org/
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content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/yes-there-are-ways-to-boost-youth-voting-new-a-mark-report-reveals-302133051.html
SOURCE A-Mark Foundation