In Arizona’s two largest counties, fewer than 15% of 18-year-olds are registered to vote
The Civics Center found that in Pima County just 9% of 18-year-old citizens had registered to vote. Maricopa fared somewhat better with 14% of 18-year-old citizens registered to vote.
The CA Gubernatorial Runoff’s Low Impact on Youth Preregistration Rates
The state of California had an overall preregistration rate of 12.94%. Since February 2021, the change in preregistration number was 19,084. With thousands of young people becoming eligible to register in California every year, it is crucial to continue the upward movement of preregistration rates, especially with the upcoming midterm elections in the fall of 2022.
The Future of Youth Voter Participation: A Call for States to Revamp Voter Registration Methods [Voices of Democracy series]
One way to almost certainly increase youth participation is to introduce pre-registration and automatic voter registration (AVR) laws in every state, as contemplated by the federal Freedom to Vote Act currently pending in Congress.
Young people could decide the Virginia Gubernatorial Election
Approximately 95,000 young people turn 18 in Virginia, but fewer than 70,000 young people ages 18-24 have registered to vote since November 2020. As a result, the registration gap between young and older voters has widened.
Stop Being Invisible
In California, 71% of citizens age 25 and above are registered to vote. In the overwhelming majority of school districts in LA County, however, fewer than half of the young people who turned 18 in the six months following the November 2020 election are registered to vote.
The Civics Center encourages Congress to pass the Freedom To Vote Act
Executive Director Laura W. Brill celebrates the introduction of historic voting rights legislation, reflects on the inclusion of youth voting rights provisions, and calls for immediate passage.
Introducing Future Voter Scorecards: OC Edition
The Civics Center is introducing Future Voter Scorecards, which measure the percentage of registered voters among new 18-year-olds by school district. We are starting in Orange County, California, where approximately 35,000 young people will have turned 18 between last November’s election day and September 14 of this year, the final date to vote in California’s gubernatorial recall election.
Democracy Under Delta: A Summer of Voter Preregistration in California
Reports over the past year and a half have revealed the large toll the pandemic has had on voter preregistration in California. As of March 2021, only 11% of 16- and 17-year-olds were preregistered to vote in California, and only 10% in LA County. However, the numbers have been climbing since then, with a statewide increase of more than 1.32 percentage points.
Arizona survey shows students don’t know voter registration laws
We asked college students from Arizona about pre-18 voter registration eligibility in their state. Specifically, we asked at what age people in Arizona would be old enough to register to vote. Only 20% of respondents answered correctly.
Students want high schools to do more to help them register to vote
The Civics Center recently took a survey of college students from around the country to find out if they thought high schools should teach students how to register to vote. Over 90% of responding college students indicated that high schools should indeed teach students about registering.
On the 50th anniversary of the 26th Amendment, the need to protect voting rights is clear
Young people are as crucial to our democracy today as they were in 1971 when the 26th Amendment was enacted. It is time for our country to live up to its promise.
Statement on the For the People Act to 16 million Future Voters now in US high schools
Laura W. Brill, Executive Director of The Civics Center, issued the following statement to the 16 million future voters now in US high schools regarding their role in strengthening our democracy following Joe Manchin’s assertion that he will not vote for the For the People Act.
Youth voters in New York City high schools could shift the Mayoral race, if they’re registered
Tens of thousands of potential new voters will be graduating from New York City’s high schools in June, and polls show that next month’s primary election for New York City Mayor is a wide-open race. These youth voters could play a decisive role in the outcome of the election, but only if they are registered to vote.
New York expanded voter preregistration to age 16. A year later, and with a Mayoral election on the horizon, most people haven’t noticed.
Only 61,567 of the state’s 16- and 17-year-olds were preregistered to vote as of April 2021. That represents just 13% of the approximately 484,317 youth in that age demographic.
The Pandemic Led to a Steep Decline in California’s Preregistration Rates: Our Systems Should Evolve to Meet the Moment
The California Secretary of State recently published the state’s most recent youth voter preregistration statistics from February 10, 2021. This report has illuminated a troubling trend for youth engagement and preregistration.
Recognizing Educators on MLK Day
To honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the MLK Day of Service, The Civics Center encouraged others to embrace the day as an opportunity to express gratitude. We asked students from across the country to recognize the educators who taught them the importance of making their voices heard and participating in their communities.
Why I’m obsessed with high school voter registration
Welcome to 2021. As we look ahead, we know our democracy will continue to face challenges. We also know that young people care and will turn out to vote if they are registered.
The Youth Vote: A Parade of Non-Partisan Politics [Voices of Democracy series]
Following the 2018 midterms, I fell down the rabbit hole of youth political engagement (as one does) and came across a staggering statistic.
Voter Registration During a Pandemic: West Valley City, Utah [Voices of Democracy series]
During the week of our drive, I ended up coming down with COVID. Cases nationwide were spiking for what seemed like the millionth time this year. Our voter registration drive pulled through, and we got a lot of seniors registered to vote.