Voting Rights

WomenMatter will continuously post updates on all this and other issues as we monitor the continuing philosophical and practical debates nationwide. Please check back often for updates. Past updates are available for reference on the Voting Rights Archives page.

What’s Age Got to Do With It? The Disconnect Between Youths and Voting

Most people between the ages of 18-30 don’t vote. In 2002, only 1/5 of young adults showed up at the polls.

Is this a problem? Does it mean that our Democracy isn’t functioning properly? Is this low turnout the fault of the voting system or of American youth themselves? Are campaigns, candidates, issues, or the media to blame?

What do we know?

WomenMatter is based in research that tells us that many women of all ages do not recognize their own voice and, therefore, do not use it publicly – and thinking and acting politically is a public act. WomenMatter is based in women’s common concerns and experience. We agree on what we value. We may disagree on what action to take. That is why WomenMatter exists – to give us a chance to inform ourselves about the political influence on those aspects of life that we already manage – health, education, safety, and jobs among them. When we feel we are expert enough and convinced that together we can make a difference, we will have half the seats at the table to match our numbers.

In order to examine that 18-30 vote and its relation to current politics, American University hosted a panel discussion on youth and voting.

The panel discussants were Tom Patterson, who is the director of Harvard University’s Vanishing Voter Project; Celinda Lake, Democratic pollster and strategist; Torrence Colvin, Director of the NAACP’s Voter Empowerment Program; Karen Tumulty, the National Political Correspondent for Time Magazine; and Matthew Gross, the Internet Communications Director for Howard Dean’s campaign. The panel was moderated by Jane Hall, Assistant Professor of Communications at American University.

The Facts

To elucidate the importance of the panel discussion, Tom Patterson presented some statistics on youth and voting.

In 1972, 18 year olds were granted the right to vote through the 26th Amendment. That year, 50% of 18-30 year olds voted in the presidential elections. Since then, youth-voter turnout has been declining. In the 2000 presidential elections, just over 30% of youth went to the polls.

And it isn’t just voting. Youth are not engaged in politics in general. Only 15% of young adults watched the Bush v. Gore televised debates.

The Reasons

Panel discussants outlined the reasons they believe to be the most causal.

Democratic pollster Celinda Lake faulted political campaigns. She explained that candidates do not often discuss the issues that matter most to young people. Debates on Social Security and prescription drug benefits are not engaging to most young adults. Lake later clarified that it is not necessary for candidates to completely alter their platforms, but to change the way that they talk about issues. Candidates could discuss issues like healthcare and education in young people’s terms, instead of always addressing voters who are 45 and older.

Torrence Colvin of the NAACP claimed that young people are unaware of why it is important to vote. Young adults themselves admit to a lack of political awareness. A survey conducted by the Kennedy School discovered that around 80% of college students say that they don’t feel informed enough to vote.

Information Breakdown

Several of the panelists blamed the media for failing to engage and inform youth. Tom Patterson of Harvard described political reporting as mostly negative, typically pointing out candidates’ perceived faults and missteps. He said that this negativity turns off youth. In addition, mudslinging campaigns breed a lack of trust in politicians for all Americans, including youth.

Matthew Gross, Internet communications director for Howard Dean, suggested that political information is typically presented in a static, unappealing way. He pointed out that the format of political talk shows has not changed for many years, and that youth prefer something less fixed, like the Internet. Gross asserted that the 2000 presidential campaign websites were uninteresting, and did not impress tech-savvy youth.

Gross also responded to criticism of the Howard Dean website as a social club. He proposed that the social aspect of politics is, in fact, essential to engaging youth. Without connecting political issues to the rest of their lives, youth won’t participate.

Karen Tumulty of Time Magazine also cited the web as a new political frontier. She explained that weblogs, or blogs, keep a faster pace than traditional media. Blogs also allow youth to comment on political events themselves, and receive feedback from their readers.

What brings young people to the polls?

Tom Patterson of Harvard claimed that partisanship gets young voters involved. Cheering for a particular team causes youth to make voting and political action a habit. Patterson asserted that the idea of “voting for issues, not for parties" hurts voter turnout, because voters feel that they must be extraordinarily informed in order to vote.

According to Celinda Lake, polls indicate that same-day registration and Election Day as a holiday would encourage youth (and everyone else) to vote.

Does it matter?

Not all of the panelists are convinced that youth disenfranchisement from the political system is, in fact, a problem.

Karen Tumulty of Time Magazine feels that younger voters will vote when they get older, when issues affect them more. She does not consider the lack of youth participation to be a crisis.

Torrence Colvin of the NAACP does not agree. He believes that the issues affect young people every day, and that they must have a voice in government.

WomenMatter and GirlsMatter start early and stay with us daily

Since our work is based in research on voice, we find this panel helpful because it showcases the disconnect of many people from the political system. What we know, in addition, is that many, many women don’t vote for different reasons than men who don’t vote. Through GirlsMatter we work to keep our voice from shutting down. And on WomenMatter we daily post the updates to give us the information we need to put our voice to work knowing the implications of the action we support.

Women can make an even greater difference when we register for a primary and give $5 to a candidate. Now is the time to Take Action on whichever issues concern you most.

Tell other WomenMatter readers how this looks to you on one of our online forums. Or, read more about Voting Rights. WomenMatter also links you to your representatives, so you can let them know what you think.

Update Posted on: 11/4/2003

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