CIRCLE is providing data-driven insights about the elections where youth are poised to have a disproportionately high electoral impact.| circle.tufts.edu
When many members of the public talk about young people's civic and political participation, they often rely on and perpetuate myths about youth voting and youth attitudes toward civic life. These myths can reflect a lack of understanding of the complex dynamics that shape young people's engagement in democracy. At best, they paint an incomplete picture of these dynamics; at worst, they misrepresent them entirely.| circle.tufts.edu
Many efforts to increase youth voting focus on getting young people registered. That’s a crucial component to driving electoral engagement, but it’s only half the battle; we need to ensure that registered youth actually go out and cast a ballot on Election Day. In 2016, nearly six million young people (ages 18-29) were “undermobilized”—meaning they were registered but did not vote. The problem of undermobilization is even more acute in midterm elections: 12.5 million registered yout...| circle.tufts.edu
Our research over the past two decades has shown that youth voter participation is a matter of access, opportunities, and infrastructure conducive to voter registration and electoral engagement.| circle.tufts.edu
Governor McKee Signs 'Let RI Vote Act'| governor.ri.gov
We estimate that 50% of young people, ages 18-29, voted in the 2020 presidential election, a remarkable 11-point increase from 2016 (39%) and likely one of the highest rates of youth electoral participation since the voting age was lowered to 18. Our new estimate is based on newly available voter file data in 41 states—AK, DC, HI, MD, MS, NH, ND, UT, WI, WY do not have reliable vote history data by age.| circle.tufts.edu