Youth Turnout in Elections

 By Caleb Tobin 

Young Americans are more likely to be politically engaged than they were a decade ago, a Harvard Kennedy School poll released in April showed. 

The study found that one year after Barack Obama’s election, 24% of young Americans were politically active. That number has risen to 36% twelve years later.

Issues such as climate change, healthcare, and immigration have contributed to increased youth participation in voting in national elections. 

In local town and lower-level state elections, youth participation isn’t as high.

“I think fewer young people are engaged in state and local elections vs national elections,” said Robert Rodgers, a political science professor at Stonehill College. Rodgers said that while young people participate more in national elections, such as presidential elections, they are less active at the local levels.

“Young people haven’t developed the habit of going to the polls every year for their local town and state elections, unlike older citizens,” Rodgers said. 

When it comes to national elections, there have been spikes and fluctuations in youth voting over the past two decades.

Rodgers said there was a specific fluctuation in youth participation during Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign, with the campaign’s use of social media drawing in younger crowds. 

Another fluctuation occurred in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, a study from the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement said. Youth turnout at the polls increased from 42-44% in 2016 to 52-55% in 2020. That is a roughly 10% increase. 

Rodgers says fluctuations in youth participation aren’t necessarily indicative of any overall trends. 

While youth turnout increased from 2016 to 2020, some young adults still don’t believe their age group is active enough. 

“I don’t think our generation votes enough because most candidates are boring or don’t offer excitement for younger people. The two-party system also severely limits options for candidates,” said Andrew Luarasi, an 18-year-old student at Emmanuel College.

“I plan on voting in at least state and national elections, I don’t know about local elections due to lack of candidate info,” Luarasi said. 

23-year-old Holbrook resident Dylan Carroll-Brown also believes his age group doesn’t vote enough.

“I believe they vote for national stuff, like presidents. For things like state senators, they don’t vote as much because they don’t see it as important,” Carroll-Brown said.

Others believe their age group does actively participate in elections, partly due to social media.

“I think social media makes it easier to get info on candidates and stay involved,” said Emily Almeida, a sophomore at Stonehill College. Almeida votes in both national and local elections and says she thinks her age group is active in elections. 

Some young adults also don’t care about politics, and do not vote.

“I don’t vote because I don’t care about politics, and I think our age group doesn’t vote as much as people want us to because they also don’t care,” said Anthony Tirabassi, an 18-year-old student at UMass Boston. 

When asked about future youth voting habits, Robert Rodgers said it is tough predict the future.

“I’m not optimistic for youth voting,” Rodgers said. He believes the increasing divide in American politics is likely to turn some people away from voting