A recent post-election survey by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University revealed young people 18-29 were worried about issues but felt neglected, faced barriers to voting and lacked information.
It found “only about half of young people were contacted by any campaign or organization about the 2022 election, and 1 in 5 youth said they didn’t have enough information to vote.”
Safeguarding democracy entails addressing the concerns and needs of this demographic. In 1971, the 26th Amendment granted the right to vote to 11.5 million people 18 to 20.
Young people are one of the largest untapped voting blocs in America. “All young Americans should be informed and responsibly involved in politics and civic life, and engaging the next generation is the best long-term solution to problems of polarization, incivility, and dysfunction in national politics,” said Peter Levine, director of CIRCLE.
Navigating today’s election environment is a challenge. Partisan acrimony remains at unprecedented levels, and false news spreads faster than the truth. Texas’ prohibitive voting laws make matters worse. In 22 states and the District of Columbia, same-day registration enables voters to register and vote at the same time. Not in Texas, where there is also no provision for online and automatic voter registration. Also, a student ID is not accepted as the required identification, and there is a lack of campus polling locations.
Preparing young people to be leaders and participate in democracy must be deliberate and thoughtful. It needs to be collaborative — young people mobilizing their peers; teachers and professors offering extra credit to students for civics projects; parents connecting their children to resources and taking their children to the polls; public officials ready to partner with community organizations; and entrepreneurs investing in innovative digital solutions.
The League of Women Voters of San Antonio is doing its part. Its Youth Initiative, launched last year, invites the next generation to think about democracy, leadership and governance. The league also shares nonpartisan voting and election information. The Youth Initiative encourages critical thinking on public policy issues and the free flow of ideas. Our vision also includes training for young voters to become poll workers and encouraging them to consider running for elected office.
This year’s prompt for the league’s annual youth contest was “I am American Democracy.” The winning submissions give us hope.
Madhu Sridhar is president of the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of the San Antonio Area.
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