End Citizens United // Let America Vote Action Fund President Tiffany Muller released the following statement in support of the Youth Voting Rights Act, which was introduced today by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Nikema Williams (GA-05):
“Even though the 26th Amendment was ratified over a half century ago, young people continue to have one of the lowest voter turnouts of any age group. We have to change that. We applaud Sen. Warren and Rep. Williams for leading the charge on this important bill to enforce the 26th Amendment and expand access for youth voters to participate in our democracy.”
The 26th Amendment was formally ratified in 1971 in the fastest ratification process in American history to prohibit the denial of the right to vote on account of age for all citizens aged 18 or older. In 2020, despite one of the highest youth voting rates in recent history, younger voters still lagged behind every other age cohort. Voter registration among the youngest eligible voters (ages 18-19) lagged behind 2016 in many states, which suggested challenges to reaching and engaging the newest potential voters. Since, the flood of state-level voter restriction bills sweeping the country have intentionally and surgically targeted the voting power of young people ages 18-35.
With about 1.5 million individuals estimated to turn 18 before the 2022 Election Day, the Youth Voting Rights Act is critical legislation to ensure they and other young voters have ample access to voting. Specifically, the bill would:
- Empower individuals and the government to enforce the 26th Amendment.
- Expand voter registration services at public colleges and universities.
- Allow young people in every state to pre-register to vote before turning 18.
- Require institutions of higher education to have on-campus polling places.
- Prohibit durational residency requirements for all federal elections.
- Guarantee that states accept student IDs to meet voter-identification requirements.
- Create a grant program dedicated to youth involvement in elections.
- Gather data on youth voter registration and election participation.
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