Why don’t more young people vote?

[rwsaunders]

I can related to this story in our household as two of our kids (ages 23 and 26) are fully engaged in current events and they have made their voices heard at the polls. The youngest (20) fits the category #2 in the article (the disillusioned), that so well describes his attitude towards politicians and the political process. I will add that Pennsylvania makes it extremely difficult to vote, especially in abstentia. The system also benefits the incumbents who in Pennsylvania, enjoy a 95% re-election rate. What’s the story from your perspective?

Super Tuesday: Why didn't more young people vote? - BBC News

[j44ke]

The reason they don't vote is because they are young.

Think of all the other things they don't do but should.

Voting is just another one of those things.

But also politics is all about winning a majority as quickly as possible with the fewest number of people possible. Anyone who takes 2,3,4 seconds longer to convince or involve - or who doesn't vote in a block or vote consistently or dependably or respond to targeted issues or is reactionary or unpredictable - is walled off to minimize their impact.

In what election in the last 20 years has the voting turnout of young people been the highest?

[deano]

Haven't had time to scope the article yet but look at the candidates.

[bcm119]

If you could vote with an app on your phone while sitting at a red light that just turned green... They would all vote.

[bironi]

I'm in the wrong age category to know why and I can't recall how I felt about it when I was young.
I do remember being excited to vote in my first election as the age was lowered in Washington state to 18 yrs.

[thollandpe]

OK Boomer.

[deano]

OK Boomer.

I was truly typing that same thing at the same time.

[theflashunc]

Take your pick, onerous voting requirements in many states -- the latest is residents on college campuses can't vote in their local elections -- the fact voting may very well mean time off work they don't have because early and mail voting has been curbed, the candidates literally being older than their grandparents, take your pick.

The actuarial tables are going to start to change as Boomers continue to die off in droves -- Millenials are already the largest living generation -- so change is coming faster than anyone will care to admit.

[thollandpe]

OK Boomer.

That was sarcastic. This question is serious.

Are young people voting now at a lower rate than in the past?

And here's my observation, that we need to do a better job of engaging these young voters. If they're feeling disenfranchised, then why is is so hard to figure out what they're looking for and bring them in? A lot of political commentary I see feels a lot like scolding and/or dismissal, especially of candidates or issues that appeal to young voters.

[deano]

I didn't mean mean to be brusque in my earlier reply, and I don't mean this one as such either, but seriously, don't think about it too long... the heady Reagan, Clinton, Bush, and Obama eras each demonstrated in their own way: unflappable elite rule, remarkable foreign policy continuity, and increasing disaffection with institutions. Nothing about any one of those administrations precipitated more trust in government. The Church, the scouts, and the local bridge club are all burning down, too, in case you didn't notice. The kids know everything is fake and a joke and doesn't represent their interests. I am 35, born in 1985, the first millennial year ... if you think we're bad, juts wait til you meet who comes next, the Zoomers. Their understanding that the world, as it's currently built, is a ruse and actually going to keep on ticking as is, and especially their resultant irony, would curl the hair of any earnest, starry-eyed holdover from the Woodstock era.

I could go on, and offer a hot take on any of the particular given issues, but those will be highly disputed depending on who's got the mic. Welcome to late, ripe post late modernity, atmo.

[j44ke]

Here's some data on the midterms in 2018:

- eh, let me look a bit more deeply - didn't seem like the best resource -

Primaries typically have horrible voter turnout in general.

Here, this is better.

Behind the 218 U.S. Midterm Election Turnout

[bironi]

As a more serious response, I know things are much more complicated and competitive than when I was young.
But if I'm not living what they are, I can't advise them on how engage.
Byron

[Blue Jays]

Perhaps they feel that if they choose not to decide, they still have made a choice.

[ericpmoss]

Some I talk to say they hate all the candidates (but they only see what is on the MSM, which is mostly bullshit foodfights like that last debate).

Some say they hate the system and think that voting is nothing more than giving approval they don't feel (forgetting that they still have to live with the result).

Some try but voter suppression laws are screwing them -- a big one now is trying to remove precincts from campuses, and making it impossible to vote in-state or out of.

Some have shit jobs that give them no slack time. As a consultant, I do what I need to when I need to. Shift workers with no time to stand 7 hours in some line that shouldn't exist... can't. One senior citizen interviewed in a 6 hour Texas line (where over 750 precincts in mostly minority areas have been shuttered), said he saw many people just give up. He brought a chair and a crossword book. A 20 year old with a kid can't do that.

[vertical_doug]

Being taught civics and what it means to be a citizen, may help. Otherwise, they are just being raised sheople.
b

[monadnocky]

Just an anecdote.

Back in 2016 I can remember working with two 20ish year olds in my practice - one guy, one young woman. Both very engaged and politically aware - one a Bernie supporter, the other, Hillary. Both hated the opposition. And both, amazingly, didn't vote, even though they talked beforehand as if their very future was at stake. One didn't want to "stand in line" (might have been 10 minutes), the other felt as though his vote "didn't matter."

It's like some incongruous mix of engagement and disillusionment. The question, though - is this a generational thing, or a cohort thing?

Or is it not really a thing at all and an example of us old men yelling at clouds?

[sk_tle]

If you could vote with an app on your phone while sitting at a red light that just turned green... They would all vote.

Said voting app would have a tinder-like UI

[sk_tle]

It's like some incongruous mix of engagement and disillusionment. The question, though - is this a generational thing, or a cohort thing?

I don't vote myself for a totally different reason by my guess would be that young people don't feel well represented.

Basically the landscape of politics is full of grey haired people, often totally unable to grap modern tech and societies changes, deciding for the younger generation.

I'm not sure asking 20y old people to drive the country would be wise but I understand how youth can feel they are treated paternalistically.

[Blue Jays]

If young people do not wish to vote, that is a totally valid choice that they are permitted to make.
We all live in free countries. People are allowed to make choices that they prefer for their lifestyle.

[Octave]

Maybe because young people (and I fall into the category of under-39s discussed in that article) are a bit disillusioned by stuff like this?


Caveat: I vote. I was excited to vote in my first legal election and have since participated in my democracy at all levels from local elections to the president of the United States. Even though it is a proper PITA, I've continued to vote in the US while living here in France for the last 5 years. I will continue to vote when I move back, in a couple of months.

That being said, I know plenty of people my age who don't vote. I also know plenty who vote for things that they believe will make a difference in their lives (local elections up to senate seats) and ignore the votes that they believe are rigged from the get-go and where the popular vote doesn't count (e.g. presidential elections).

My own feeling (see the link in my first sentence of this post) is that my vote means next-to-nothing during this period, and that getting overly involved/passionate a year out from the actual election is a recipe for burnout, disappointment, anger and conflict. My partner and I both watched the first several rounds of debates, followed the early candidates very closely, and formed feelings and opinions on how we would like to see the party evolve over the course of the election cycle. By the beginning of February, we both were exhausted, angry, and generally overwhelmed. We've stepped back, and will re-engage when we have the mental and emotional bandwidth to do so. Having now lived for a significant chunk of my life in a democracy that functions somewhat differently than the US, I can see why the rest of the world is stunned to learn about how US elections work.