The 2020 election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump received the greatest voter turnout in American history since the 1960s election between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Despite COVID-19 concerns, 155 million Americans cast their ballots in 2020, resulting in 67% of all citizens age 18 and older voting.
Participation among eligible voters ages 18-24 is the lowest of all age groups with 48% of voters within this age cohort casting a ballot in the 2020 election. There is a positive correlation between the increase in the age of voters and the percentage of voter turnout.
Usually, people become more politically conservative as they age, and conservatism peaks at around the age of 45.
Voters that fall in the age cohort of 45-64 are notorious for having a voter turnout of around 60%-70% percent. In 2020, there was a 17.5-point difference between 18-24-year-olds and 45-64. Younger Americans tend to lean more towards the liberal side with only 23% of young Americans labeling themselves as conservative.
If voters in the older cohorts are mostly the ones voting, the conservative party is likely to win more elections and potentially vote against young people’s interests.
One reason young people vote less frequently is that they have had fewer opportunities to form and reinforce the habit. Young people are one of the groups that are least likely to be registered to vote as they often focus on other things and don’t consider the importance of their vote. Over time, however, younger people become habitual voters and vote in most if not all elections.
Others suffer from voter apathy: a lack of interest among voters in elections. This is often caused by the mentality many young people share of believing their participation in government will not make a difference.
Despite youth’s unwillingness to vote, a record number of young people cast their ballots in the 2020 election.
The reason behind the increased turnout for young people in the 2020 election was urgency and a fear of a crisis occurring. It is also important to note that various campaigns started during the pandemic that focused solely on registering young people and encouraging them to vote. Platforms such as TikTok and Instagram were used as places to convince young people to vote. Many young people felt as if their vote served a purpose and felt encouraged to head to the voting polls and cast their votes.
Young people’s ballot plays a crucial role in politics as they people consider how certain policies might affect their future and often fight to promote political change. Younger people tend to vote to create a change. Most cast a ballot as an act of activism fuelled by frustration towards the government. Younger people vote for candidates considering their viewpoints on healthcare, education reforms, and action to prevent corruption in the government.
Younger people often have more innovation and are willing to bring much-needed change that will shape their future and the future of other generations.
The 2022 midterm elections saw about 27% of young people (ages 18 to 29) voting, making it the second-highest youth voter participation in almost three decades.
Both political parties have encouraged voters to cast their ballots in the next presidential election. Some of the reasons young people are not voting are that they haven’t formed the habit or are simply not interested in voting. The stigma surrounding voting has to be eliminated and young people need to be convinced that their vote matters. Young people vote with passion and fight for change. Activism must continue to occur in order to drive young people to cast their ballots.
Voters between the ages of 18-29 have so many ideas for their government yet feel as if they can’t voice them through the voting process. Once young people are encouraged to vote, change will follow.
