[KARAH RUCKER]
VOTER REGISTRATION IS BREAKING RECORDS –
PARTICULARLY AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE.
ON NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DAY ON SEPTEMBER 17TH, MORE THAN 150,000 INDIVIDUALS REGISTERED THROUGH VOTE.ORG. THAT’S THE HIGHEST NUMBER EVER RECORDED FOR THAT DAY.
TO PUT THIS IN PERSPECTIVE, THAT’S MORE THAN HALF OF VOTERS REGISTERED BY THE SITE IN ALL OF LAST YEAR.
OF THE NEWLY REGISTERED 150,000 VOTERS –
81 PERCENT OF THEM ARE UNDER 35.
11 PERCENT WERE 18 YEARS-OLD –
WHICH IS A 53 PERCENT **INCREASE COMPARED TO FOUR YEARS AGO.
THE NUMBERS – POINT TO A POTENTIAL SURGE IN YOUNG VOTERS THIS ELECTION.
BUT JUST BECAUSE THEY’RE REGISTERED, DOESN’T MEAN THEY’LL SHOW UP AT THE POLLS.
YOUNG VOTER TURNOUT HAS HISTORICALLY LAGGED BEHIND OTHER DEMOGRAPHICS.
IN THE 2022 MIDTERMS –
ONE IN EVERY FOUR OF THOSE 18 TO 29 YEARS OLD CAST A BALLOT –
COMPARED TO NEARLY TWO OUT OF EVERY THREE OF THOSE AGED 60 AND OLDER.
HOWEVER THE 2020 ELECTION DID SEE A RECORD NUMBER OF YOUTH VOTES COUNTED WITH HALF OF YOUNG PEOPLE VOTING.
HOWEVER –
IT STILL LAGS BEHIND THE OLDER DEMOGRAPHIC WHICH SAW NEARLY 80 PERCENT VOTER TURNOUT.
POLLING DATA REVEALS A SIGNIFICANT SHIFT IN “CANDIDATE PREFERENCES” AMONG YOUNG VOTERS SINCE THE DEMOCRATIC TICKET CHANGED IN JULY.
VOTERS AGED 18 TO 34 WERE NEARLY EVENLY SPLIT BETWEEN PRESIDENT BIDEN AND FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP BACK THEN ACCORDING TO NBC NEWS POLLING.
BUT NOW, THEY SUPPORT VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS BY A 23-POINT MARGIN—57 TO 34 PERCENT, ACCORDING TO NBC NEWS POLLING TAKEN AFTER THE DEMOCRATIC TICKET CHANGED.
WHILE THE RECORD-BREAKING REGISTRATION NUMBERS SHOW THERE COULD POTENTIALLY BE ANOTHER RECORD THIS YEAR IN YOUNG VOTER TURNOUT –
THE U.S. CURRENTLY HAS ONE OF THE LOWEST RATES OF YOUTH VOTER TURNOUT IN THE WORLD –
WITH THE GAP BETWEEN THE YOUTH AND SENIOR VOTES HERE BEING TWICE AS LARGE AS IT IS IN CANADA OR GERMANY.
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