Young Adult Voter Behavior September 18, 2017 Presented by: In - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

A Conversation About Young Adult Voter Behavior September 18, 2017 Presented by: In partnership with:

Overview/Context Who are we? Why do we care? www.jointventure.org www.SiliconValleyIndicators.org

The Silicon Valley Index

The Silicon Valley Index The same share of eligible voters cast ballots in the 2016 General Election as did in the 2008 General Election (62% in Silicon Valley and 59% in California).

The Silicon Valley Index Eligible voter turnout in Silicon Valley is higher than in the state overall, across all age groups.

The Silicon Valley Index Turnout of young adults (ages 18-24) in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, and statewide is low compared to other age groups.

The Silicon Valley Index Young adults across the state were highly mobilized to vote in the 2016 general election.

The Silicon Valley Index Nearly 14,000 more Silicon Valley young adults voted in the 2016 general election than in the 2012 general election.

Live Polling Text JVSV to 22333 to join

A Conversation About Young Adult Voter Behavior September 18, 2017 Presented by: In partnership with:

Mindy Romero, Ph.D. Director

Types of Civic Engagement Definition: Any effort by people to improve the quality of life in their communities Typology: Formal political participation Participation in civic/community organizations, clubs, boards Everyday civic engagement

Non-Traditional Forms of C.E.  Underrepresented communities often have few traditional pathways to engagement  Or the culturally relevant expressions of C.E.  We aren’t measuring the full level of C.E.  Power pathways are less accessible 21

The State of the Vote

Youth Eligible Voter Turnout in 2016?

Eligible Youth Voter Turnout 36%

California’s Youth Turnout

California’s Youth Turnout

Consequences of Disparities in Voter Turnout

California’s Youth Turnout

Why Does Youth Voting Matter? • Youth play important role in democratic process • Strong youth vote has policy consequences • Increasing youth turnout is critical to a representative electorate • Look at the 2016 election!

How can we improve youth voter turnout?

How to increase youth engagement?  Make it Easier for Youth to Vote  Make Them Want to Vote 32

Making it Easier to Vote • Electoral system • Outreach • Civics education – high schools • Peer power! = not apathy?

How Can We Make Youth Want to Vote? 34

Thank you! Mindy Romero, Ph.D. Director, California Civic Engagement Project UC Davis msromero@ucdavis.edu @mindysromero View my Tedx Talk on the Power of the Youth Vote!

A Conversation About Young Adult Voter Behavior September 18, 2017 Presented by: In partnership with:

Young Adult Voting Behavior: The National Perspective September 18, 2017 z Mary Currin-Percival San José State University Department of Political Science

z Questions to Consider  What is voter turnout in the U.S.?  How does the U.S. compare to other developed countries?  Why does voter turnout matter?  What is young adult voter turnout?  In what other ways do young adult participate?

z Voter Turnout in U.S. Presidential Elections Business Insider . 2016 . “Americans Beat One Voter Turnout Record-Here’s How 2016 Compares with Past Elections.” Accessed 9/15/17. http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-voter-turnout-records-history-obama- clinton-2016-11

z U.S. Turnout Comparatively Pew Research Center. 2016. “U.S. Trails Most Developed Countries in Voter Turnout.” Accessed 9/15/17. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/05/15/u-s-voter-turnout-trails-most-developed-countries/

z Why does turnout matter?  Elections form the foundation of our representative democracy. They hold officials accountable.  Higher turnout makes elections more representative.  Policy outcomes can be more representative.  Young adults have important policy concerns that deserve equal attention.

z Turnout by Young Adults  “Young adults” defined.  18-29; Millennials (Born 1981-1998**; age 18-35 in 2016)  What percentage of the electorate is comprised of young adults?  Examining turnout Photo credit: Theresa Thompson. Flickr. Accessed 9/15/17. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode

z In the Electorate: Millennials and Baby Boomers Are the Largest Generations Millennials are the largest living generation (estimated 75.4  million) (U.S. Census). 69.2 million Millennials in the electorate; 69.7 million Baby  Boomers as of April 2016 (Pew 2016). Millennials will become the largest generation of eligible  voters, but will they vote? Let’s look at turnout by age over time.  Pew Research Center. 2016. “”Millennials Match Baby Boomers as Largest Generation in U.S. Electorate, but Will They Vote?”. Accessed 9/15/17. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/05/16/millennials-match-baby-boomers-as-largest-generation-in-u- s-electorate-but-will-they-vote/

z U.S. Voter Turnout by Age McDonald, Michael P. 2016 ”Voter Turnout Demographics." United States Elections Project . Accessed 9/14/17. http://www.electproject.org/home/voter-turnout/demographics

What Did Young Adult Turnout Look Like z in 2016? U.S. Census Bureau. 2016. “Voting Rates By Age.” Accessed 9/15/17. https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/2017/comm/voting-rates- age.html

z Concerns about Representation  The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, October 2016 Millennial Poll  “only 32% of Millennials think that ‘people like them’ have a legitimate voice in the election”  “only 29% feel that they are given a genuine choice in elections ‘often’ or ‘almost always/always.’” CIRCLE Staff. 2016. 2016 Millennial Poll Analysis: An in-depth look at youth attitudes, tendencies, and ideology. Accessed 9/15/17. http://civicyouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/2016-Millennial-Poll-Analysis.pdf, p.10.

z Additional Concerns  “ 80% think that non-establishment candidates are prevented from running at least 'sometimes’ 44% think it happens ‘often’ or ‘always/almost always.’”  Over 50% “believe that the wealthy ‘buy’ elections at least ‘often.’” 2016 Millennial Poll Analysis: An in-depth look at youth attitudes, tendencies, and ideology. 2016. CIRCLE Staff, Accessed 9/15/17. http://civicyouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/2016-Millennial-Poll-Analysis.pdf, p.10.

z Young Adult Civic Engagement The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, 2016 Millennial Post-Election Poll  What Millennials have done or would be willing to do  “Volunteer for a community organization on a regular basis” (61%)  “Help someone (e.g., a neighbor, a younger student, a stranger) in need of help” (84%) “What Millennials Have Done or Would Be Willing to Do” CIRCLE. Accessed 9/15/17. http://civicyouth.org/wp- content/uploads/2017/03/millennial-enga_20714320_71ed2b4e437a29f77a5096ea47e394772113d3b0.png

z Young Adult Civic Engagement  Have done or would be willing to do  “Attend a meeting where residents engage in a discussion about local issues” (51%)  “Use social media platform to express opinions about issues” (43%)  “Participate in a demonstration or protest” (32%) “What Millennials Have Done or Would Be WillingstrangerCIRCLE. Accessed 9/15/17. http://civicyouth.org/wp- content/uploads/2017/03/millennial-enga_20714320_71ed2b4e437a29f77a5096ea47e394772113d3b0.png

A Conversation About Young Adult Voter Behavior September 18, 2017 Presented by: In partnership with:

Group Discussions

A Conversation About Young Adult Voter Behavior September 18, 2017 Presented by: In partnership with: