The Youth Vote Defining the Problem and Possible Solutions

Although there was a slight uptick in voter turnout last November, almost 100 million Americans, including two-out-of-three young people, didn’t vote. Although there are more older nonvoters than younger ones, it is the youth vote that quadrennially absorbs most anxieties about our democracy’s future health.

Studies of voting behavior since the 1960s suggest that every new generation has voted less often than its predecessor. More disturbing, studies indicate that this is not just a phase of youth, for as each cohort of young people moved into a higher age bracket, its members continued to vote less often than the cohort it replaced. In other words, many people who didn’t acquire the voting habit in their youth never acquired it.

So the low voter turnout in 2000 was not an isolated event, but part of a larger downward trend—nearly a 20 percent decline since the 1960 presidential elections, according to analysis by Curtis B. Gans, director of the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate—and the youngest voters contribute the most to this downturn. From 1972, the year after 18-to 20-year-olds got the right to vote, to 1998, turnout by 18-to-24-year-old voters declined by about 35 percent.

Looking at declining rates of voter turnout over the last few decades, some scholars say the trend, taken to the extreme, points to a time when only ideologues and those with vested interests will go to the polls. “America is in danger of developing a permanent non-voting class,” warned a 1998 study by the National Association of Secretaries of State.

That said, there is no consensus about the problem, its size, scope, remedy or whether or not the trend really constitutes a problem:

There is no problem. Charles Krauthammer, the Time magazine columnist, has called low voter turnout “a leading indicator of contentment,” and many agree with his assessment.

There is a problem, but no crisis. In The Good Citizen: A History of American Civic Life (Free Press, 1998), sociologist Michael Schudson reported that voter turnout has not been consistently high since the 1920s, when reformers of the Progressive Era succeeded in curbing the political parties—along with their parades, banquets and cash rewards—that drew many voters to the polls.

There is a problem, and low voter turnout is just one measure of democracy’s ill health. Scholars like Ruy A. Teixeira and Robert D. Putnam worry about America becoming a spectator democracy. They have written extensively about declining voter turnout from one generation to the next along with parallel declines in activities that are traditionally associated with citizenship, ranging from attending public meetings to working for political parties.

Finally, others say the political system is sick, but citizenship itself is not in trouble. In this view, fewer young people participate in traditional partisan activities because politics has a reputation for being ineffective and corrupt. But far from being disengaged citizens, young people are throwing themselves into community service at record rates.

While there is no consensus in defining the problem, there is little doubt the nation would be stronger with more youthful participation in politics. With that goal in mind, many institutions are trying to reform education and channel youthful altruism into politics:

Reviving civics courses in school. To address young people’s complaints about not knowing enough to vote, many organizations are trying to rejuvenate civics courses, making them more innovative and required for high school graduation.

Improving community service. Proponents say that the volunteer experience can be a great way to engage young people in their communities and local politics. But the volunteer experience should be meaningful and not just busywork, as are some community service
programs.

Connecting community service to school work. Building on community service programs, many educators have added a classroom component in which lessons from volunteer work are integrated into school work on democracy and public policy. These service-and-study programs, known as “service learning,” are already offered in almost half of U.S. high schools and more than a third of middle schools.

Mixing politics with service learning. Proponents say that the best way for service learning to promote political participation is by allowing young people to volunteer at advocacy organizations. Students in Philadelphia public schools, for example, pick their favorite cause—the environment, civil rights, gay rights, tax policy—and work with professional advocates in trying to effect social change.

Using service learning to improve education and entire communities. Taking service learning a step further, some colleges and universities are pioneering ways to engage their faculties and students in community-wide improvement projects. More than 400 college presidents have committed their own institutions—and challenged others—to “improve the quality of community life and the quality of the education we provide” through service learning projects.

Trying to bring the best of all approaches together. Foundations, which have supported many of the above reforms, have begun working together in a coordinated effort to define problem areas as well as the best practices for addressing them. In a recent collaboration, about 40 researchers from many fields and perspectives produced a consensus report that calls for a new, melded approach for engaging young people in politics. Drawing on the best aspects of several youth development programs, the researchers called for youth opportunities that would include such components as meaningful personal experiences, group activities, community-improvement projects and lessons for building the skills and knowledge needed for participating in politics.

For its part, the Corporation’s Strengthening U.S. Dem-ocracy program includes a focus on youth participation in the nation’s political environment. The Corporation also has a special interest in encouraging colleges and universities to take a more active role in engaging their students and institutions in civic life.

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