Spotlight on Pennsylvania – In big elections registered youth turn out at high rates
A new report from The Civics Center focuses on Pennsylvania and builds the case that in competitive elections, registered youth turn out to vote at very high rates. Shifting common narratives about youth turnout to emphasize high participation rates among registered youth can be an important step in increasing turnout and in building civic engagement.
Despite conventional wisdom that young Americans are mostly apathetic, data shows the opposite. Taking Pennsylvania and focusing on statewide general elections going back to 2018, we find that in presidential elections, the rate of turnout among registered 18-year-olds is virtually indistinguishable from that for Pennsylvanians aged 45-79. In midterms, the differential has been greater (around 10-13 percentage points), but still, more than 60% of registered 18-year-olds turned out in 2018 and 2022.
It turns out that voting is the norm, not the exception, for registered 18-year-olds.
We’ve been tracking voting participation rates for 18-year-olds for years across six states, including Pennsylvania, and launched a visualization portal showing rates in 6 states and the counties of these states in October. We now have access to voter file data from most states across the country, which is more reliable in reflecting turnout than the US Census data we previously used.
This is our first report focusing on turnout among registered 18-year-olds across multiple election cycles, based on current and historical voter file data for the state of Pennsylvania going back to the 2018 general election. To recap: Voting is the norm, not the exception, for registered 18-year-olds in major elections in Pennsylvania.
In the last two presidential elections, more than 80% of registered 18-year-olds voted.
In the last two midterms, more than 60% of registered 18-year-olds voted.
The differential between turnout among registered 18-year-olds and older registered voters (45-79) is less than 5 percentage points in presidential years and less than 15 percentage points in midterms.
Why does this data matter so much? Appreciating that registered youth turnout at high rates is critical to breaking the cycle of low youth turnout, while the false narrative can suppress youth turnout and efforts to help young people connect with democracy. If we can dispel the myth of teen apathy and help to establish voter registration as a rite of passage before high school graduation we will vastly improve the chance of many more young Americans getting registered and turning out.
Communities can make enormous strides towards this goal through youth-centered efforts to help students understand the importance of voting and the mechanics for registering. They can use hard data to show students that voting is a norm and that they and their peers can make a difference. Together, we can create traditions to facilitate both.
This report builds on our prior research covering Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York, and demonstrating a consistent positive correlation in all three states. In 2024, counties with higher registration rates tended to have higher turnout rates among registered youth.
Communities that want to encourage youth turnout can use our results in multiple ways, including sharing on social media, incorporating discussion about youth turnout in family and community dialogues, and encouraging youth to be ambassadors to their friends.
The last day to vote in Pennsylvania’s primary election is Tuesday, May 19. So, whether you are a parent, grandparent, educator, democracy advocate, or a teen, please encourage everyone in your network to turn out. And let them know about our findings: In big elections, registered youth turn out.