Title: 4 Reasons Young People Don’t Vote… and What To Do About It – Youth Service America (YSA)
Headings: 4 Reasons Young People Don’t Vote… and What To Do About It
4 Reasons Young People Don’t Vote… and What To Do About It
1. They’re not asked or encouraged to vote by candidates, campaigns, family, friends, or neighbors.
2. They’re not taught how the government and elections work or feel like they don’t know enough to vote.
3. There are too many barriers for them to overcome.
4. They’re not interested in politics or feel like voting won’t make a difference.
Sources

Content: registration problems / lacking proper ID; or being out of town / did not receive an absentee ballot in time to vote. [ 1]
Among youth 18 and 19 years old who were not registered to vote, 23% said they missed the registration deadlines, 6% said they didn’t know where or how to register. [ 6]
Young people who are registered to vote turn out in high numbers. In the 2008 election, 84% of those youth 18-29 who were registered to vote actually cast a ballot. Guiding youth through the registration process is one potential step to closing the age-related voting gap. [ 5]
A state’s laws related to voter registration and voting can have an impact on youth voter turnout. Seven out of the top 10 youth turnout states had some of the more ambitious measures, including Election Day registration, voting by mail (Oregon), or not requiring registration to vote (North Dakota). [ 5]
Many would-be voters face a range of barriers: voter ID laws, registration difficulty, or criminal records. [