Power to the polls: National Voter Registration Day 2019

Last Friday, young people showed up by the thousands to demand better treatment of our planet at the Global Climate Strike. In early 2017, young women across the country marched for themselves, their sisters and their mothers. Parkland teens encouraged high schoolers across the nation to demand more and better protection. We’ve chanted "this is what democracy looks like" at each and every rally over the past four years. Our generation will be defined by our activism. But will we be defined by our voting record?

Tufts launched JumboVote in the fall of 2016 to encourage civic engagement and voting in the year’s presidential election. With support from Tisch College, we aim to increase voter registration, educate voters and support events that foster political engagement. As a non-partisan organization, we are committed to turning out the vote in each and every election. To celebrate National Voter Registration Day this year, we wanted to share our mission and highlight a few important facts for young people.  

According to CIRCLE, the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts, 31% of eligible young people voted in the 2018 midterm elections. While this number may seem small, it marks a dramatic increase from youth turnout in 2014. 2018 actually saw the highest level of youth participation in a midterm election in over 25 years. Voting is habit-forming: When we encourage young people to vote, we encourage an entire generation to vote for the rest of their lives.

Our generation has been criticized for apathy, laziness and addiction to technology. Youth ages 18 to 29 make up 21% of the voting-eligible population in the US, and through civic engagement, we can show the world that we are more than that: We are a generation of leaders. Committing to civic engagement means committing to what you are passionate about. Change requires new policy and new leaders; change requires voting. This National Voter Registration Day, JumboVote wants to encourage civic engagement of any form. Whether that means calling your representatives, registering to vote for the first time, or simply asking your friends what they are passionate about: Your voice matters.

Activism can take many forms. We believe activism at the polls is the most critical for young people of today.