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Increasing Accessibility for Young Voters
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SAVE Urges All States to Allow Teenagers to Pre-Register to Vote
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 12, 2008
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Due to a recent bill passed by the California State Assembly and sent to the Senate, SAVE would like to issue the following statement:
As the forefront organization for youth election protection, SAVE strongly supports California Assembly Bill 1819, which would allow 16 year olds to pre-register to vote, qualifying them automatically when they reach 18. The bill, which was sent to the Senate last month on a party-line vote was intended to increase California’s voting pool by targeting teens. The issue has already received national attention, as Florida, Puerto Rico and Hawaii allow pre-registration of 16-year-olds. Six states including Connecticut, Iowa, Florida, Maine, Wisconsin, Missouri and Texas permit pre-registration of 17-year-olds.
SAVE believes a likely reason for the party split is due to the assumption that young voters, age 18-24, tend to lean heavily democratic and are less informed than the general voting population. However, according to a 2004 study by the Harvard IOP young people are less likely than older voting blocs to affiliate with a political party, as more than 4 in 10 voters identify as independents. SAVE supports this advancement in working towards informing students about the voting process before they are eligible to vote. This bill would also introduce young voters to pertinent issues earlier, as those registered to vote are often contacted by political campaigns. Another advantage of the bill is its outreach to young Americans not attending a college or university or without any institutional affiliation to help them register. According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, this group comprises about 48% of the estimated total of 18-24 year old American citizens.
Furthermore, according to non-partisan think-tank FairVote, 81 percent of registered voters age 18-25 voted in the 2004 election, demonstrating a level of participation that rivals that of the general voting population. Yet a noteworthy gap lies between the 72 percent general registration rate of voters and the 58% registration rate of young voters. The issue is not that young voters are disinterested; it is that they are not registered.
Young voters from both ends of the political spectrum are excited about the opportunities presented by this bill. “This bill would help dispel numerous difficulties in voter registration that face young voters—both for those who don’t attend college as well as those who leave their home state for school,” says Molly Masenga, SAVE constituent from Georgetown University. Noelle Petrillo, a young republican voter from Boston College states, “I am concerned about how well informed teen voters are, and I believe this bill would allow students to better prepare and educate themselves on the important issues before they are able to cast their votes.”
SAVE is a non-partisan, non-profit organization on over 25 college campuses, founded and run by students, with a mission to increase youth voter turnout by removing access barriers and promoting stronger civic education. For more info, please visit http://www.savevoting.org/.
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As rain falls, students wait in line to vote on Election Day 2004
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Two students prepare to cast their ballot.
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Events:
SAVE hosted Presidential candidate Senator John Edwards on January 25 in Columbia, SC.
Click on EVENTS for more information.
News:
Click on NEWS to read up to date stories featuring SAVE.
SAVE hosted a town hall forum with Sen. John Edwards that garnered widespread media coverage.
Click on NEWS to see these articles.
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Executive Director Matthew Segal wrote for the Huffington Post recently. Click on NEWS to view his posts and read about issues important to SAVE.
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