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#eye #eye


This election is in the hands of the Youth.


  • Youth voters have traditionally low turnout -- the 48.4% of 18-29 year olds who turned out in 2008 marked the highest percentage since 1984 -- but numbers have seen little change since: 45% of 18-29 year olds voted in 2012, 20% in 2014, 46.1% in 2016, and 36% in 2018. (Harvard)

  • Young people could wield significant political power. Millennials and some members of Gen Z comprise 37% of eligible voters -- roughly the same share of the electorate that baby boomers and pre-boomers make up, according to census data analyzed by the Brookings Institution. (NPR)


Voter Registration & Turnout in 2016, 2018, and 2020
(Ages 18-29)



2016
  • Registration Rate: 62%
  • Voter Turnout 38%

2018
  • Registration Rate: 61.5%
  • Voter Turnout 28.2%

2020 (as of Sept.) 
  • Registration Rate: Up from 2018 in KS, NJ, CA
  • Down from 2018 in OH, AR, SD
  • Voter Turnout: It’s up to you! 
  • (Tufts/Circle)


How Is the Youth Vote Suppressed?


  • Voting barriers: no ride to the polls, don’t know where to vote, cannot decipher fake v. real news, inability to leave job midday.
  • Lack of voter education.
  • Limited campaign outreach.


How Many Youth Plan on Voting in 2020?

  • A Tufts/Circle poll found 63% of respondents indicated they will “definitely be voting,” compared to 47% during this same time before the 2016 presidential election.