“Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.” – James Madison
According to research collected by CIRCLE, only 21.5% of millennials (Americans aged 18-29) voted in the 2014 midterm elections. While young people have historically lower voter turnout than older generations, the youth turnout in 2014 was “the lowest ever recorded in a federal election,” according to CIRCLE’s data.
Today’s young people are rejecting participation in democracy by not voting in elections. Millennial voters are letting their grandparents vote for them, allowing other generations to decide the future of their country for them.
Why?
Are they apathetic? Uninterested? Too busy with their cellphones to care about politics?
For a slim few, perhaps. However, it appears that most millennials believe that they are lacking reliable, nonpartisan knowledge.
According to a 2015 Harvard Institute of Politics survey of 3,034 millennials aged between 18 and 29, 47% of respondents believe that they need more practical information about politics before they get involved, and 50% believe that politics have become too partisan.
This research shows that millennials are seeking non-partisan facts and informational resources in order to feel comfortable with getting involved in the political process. To provide non-partisan resources to millennial voters, media outlets and society alike need to promote and monetarily support non-profit organizations, such as Vote Smart who collect non-partisan, unbiased facts, and easy-to-understand political information.
When millennials have these tools at their fingertips, they have an avenue to cast an informed vote.
Vote Smart, who seeks to make democracy accessible to voters, is the hidden gem of our democracy. People trust Vote Smart, because we are committed to remaining objective and free of slant towards a political party.
Vote Smart does not profit monetarily (unlike the media), so we are not swayed by profit or reward, contributing to our objectivity. However, non-profit organizations are notorious for having extremely slim budgets and small communications departments. It is hard for Vote Smart to balance our research needs and monetary limitations with public relations and communications goals. Many millennials do not know Vote Smart exists, so they are not utilizing their resources.
Please share votesmart.org with a millennial.
With knowledge of Vote Smart’s resources, young voters can feel more educated and comfortable with casting their vote and getting politically involved. Ultimately, we can hope to turn the 47% of millennials who believe that they need more practical information about politics before they get involved, into active voters who participate in the great democracy of our nation.
Millennials no longer need to let their parents and grandparents hold their share of voice; instead, they can register to vote, educate themselves on the candidates and issues, and stand for themselves as a generation devoted to encouraging and participating in democracy.
To learn how to register to vote in your state visit http://votesmart.org/elections/voter-registration
This article was written by Cassandra Reed, a Development & Communications Department staff
This article was written by Cassandra Reed, a Development & Communications Department staff
