By: Kyle Schatz

During every election, whether it is the presidential, midterms, or local elections, the youth demographic always votes the least out of any age group. In the United States the youth demographic is typically considered to be 18-24, with some sources counting anyone under 30 to be part of the youth.  

According to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University, in the 2024 presidential election 47 percent of the youth demographic voted compared to 39 percent in the 2016 election, and 50 percent in the 2020 election. In each of the elections, this was the lowest voter turnout rate for any age group. The youngest eligible voters historically participate at lower rates, and that was the case again in 2024. Youth voter turnout amongst 18 and 19 year-olds was 41 percent, 6 percentage points lower than turnout for all youth. That turnout gap by age group increased from 2020, when it was only 4 percentage points. In 2020, 46 percent of 18-19 year-olds voted, compared to 50% for all youth. In Florida, 46 percent of 18–19 year-olds voted in the 2024 presidential election, compared to 50 percent of the entire youth demographic in Florida. 

In a poll from CIRCLE, about half of the youth who voted in the 2024 election said one of their top motivations was the desire to have an impact on the issues they care about, such as affordability or global problems. This is shown by the previous elections. Out of the last 3 elections, 2020 had by far the largest percentage of youth votes, including an 11 percent increase from the 2016 election. At the time of this election, the Corona Virus was at its peak. In the same poll, 44 percent of young people who did not vote said it was because they were not interested or disliked the candidates, and 36 percentdid not register to vote because they said it was not important to them.  

On average in this century, fewer than 30 percent of 18 year-olds are registered to vote in midterms. At Ponte Vedra High School (PVHS), 64 students were asked if they plan to vote in the midterms later this year. 25 of the students said they were going to vote, 18 said they were not, and 21 said they were not sure yet. Nate Barrick, a senior at PVHS, said “I am not sure if I am going to vote later this year because I want to find out who the candidates are before I decide. One senior who is not going to vote said “I am not planning on voting because I don’t really care about politics and do not know enough.” A different senior at PVHS who is going to vote said “I am voting because I feel like it is my responsibility to vote and it is an opportunity for me to have a say in what happens.” In the past few elections, the youth have been voting more, but more than half of the demographic is still not voting with the most common reasons being a lack of interest in politics or disliking the candidates. 

Graphic by Philip Berkwit