Opinion: How to reach young voters

Young voters aren't voting. That's a problem.

No age group has to live with the consequences of each election longer than younger voters. So why aren’t they participating in the political process?

Georgia voters wishing to cast their ballot in-person before election day have until 7:00 PM on Friday to do so, as the state is set to conclude a three-week early voting period that has seen record turnout for a midterm election.

As of Thursday evening, nearly 2.3 million Georgians have cast their ballots in the 2022 elections, which includes competitive races for U.S. Senate, Governor and several state and local offices. This exceeds turnout from the 2018 midterms, when roughly 1.8 million ballots were cast by this point.

While we don’t know which side will benefit from the record turnout, a disappointing pattern is set to continue: low participation among young voters.

According to the tracking site geogriavotes.com, a combined 70% of Georgians who have voted so far are 50 years of age or older: 33% between the ages of 50 and 64, and 38% over the age of 65.

The younger the age group, the lower the turnout gets. Voters between the ages of 30 and 39 make up 8.9% of the electorate so far. For those between 18 and 29, it’s even lower: 7.5%.

I might be a young voter, but I’m not going to speak for all of us. There could be different reasons why young voters aren’t voting like they should. But what I can do is give both parties some advice on how to connect with young people.

For starters, candidates need to be more active on social media. For better or for worse, young people practically live their lives on the internet. Whether it’s schoolwork, following the news, listening to music or entertainment, our heads are always down in our cell phones for one reason or another.

Wouldn’t it make sense to reach young voters through an avenue where they spend most of their time? Post videos on TikTok. Hold town halls on Instagram Live. Ramp up your digital ad spending. Because if a young voter does not see you on a phone screen, they will probably never know who you are.

Secondly, I think both parties need to step up their involvement on college campuses. Host debates, football tailgates or even parties. There are some colleges in Georgia and across the country with no active political clubs or organizations for students to join.

For many students, college is where you grow into your true identity. Personal, professional, and yes, political. Students need to have the opportunity to discuss political issues with their peers and roommates. Beyond that, they need to understand the importance of voting. It is my hope that political parties will have more of a presence on college campuses going forward.

And finally, I think high schools need to consider holding voter registration events for their juniors and seniors. Believe it or not, you don’t have to wait until you are 18 years old to register to vote. As long as you are 18 by election day, you can register at 17 and a half. A young person is much more likely to understand the importance of voting if it is instilled at an early age.

As I said before, young people are the voters who have to live with the consequences of elections the longest. Marching and protesting are great ways to express your frustration, and we should absolutely keep doing it. But the next time you go, bring a voter registration clipboard with you. Because the reality is nothing is going to seriously change if we continue to sit out and allow older politicians to ascend to positions of power.

Explore the data for yourself at georgiavotes.com