Youth Vote on the Rise!

Something big is happening in our democracy – young people are voting. Already, young people turned out in record numbers at the nation’s first caucus and primary contests of 2008.  The youth vote almost doubled in New Hampshire, tripled in Iowa and quadrupled in Tennessee. 

Right here in Connecticut, turnout among young voters between the ages of 18 and 29 more than doubled – from approximately 21,394 young voters in 2000 to approximately 51,436 in 2008. (Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement) 

For 25 years, CONNPIRG and our sister Student PIRGs across the country have worked to mobilize young voters to the polls to reinvigorate our country’s democracy.   

In the Fall of  2006 alone, ConnPIRG and the student PIRGs registered 75,000 students to vote, and leading up to Election Day we made 94,000 personalized Get Out the Vote reminders either over the phone or face-to-face. 

Read more about our work in Connecticut and across the country to turn out the youth vote in the election so far and our plans for the coming months here.