State Election Laws Across the Country are Blocking Young People from Exercising Their Right to Vote

Rock the Vote Launches New Voting Rights Digital Hub with State-by-State Breakdown of Policies, Tools for Young People to Take Action in Support of Voting Rights.

As millions of young voters across the country cast their ballots in state and local races last week, millions more were prevented from exercising their constitutional right to vote due to restrictive state voting and election laws that limit young people’s access to democracy. For example, young voters in Atlanta who lacked an approved government ID were barred from helping choose their city’s next mayor. And first-time voters in Flint, Michigan, who were out of state on November 7 for college or work, couldn’t particiapte in the city’s mayoral recall election.

This week, Rock the Vote launched a new digital hub highlighting “Young People’s Access to Democracy” or lack thereof and empowering young people to contact their state representatives and advocate for policy changes — as featured in Teen Vogue. The tool rates states based on the laws and policies that disproportionately impact the voting rights of America’s largest and most diverse generation in history, such as automatic voter registration, pre-registration for 16 and 17-year olds, early voting opportunities and online voter registration.

• 9 states, plus the District of Columbia, are highlighted as “leaders” for having a majority of policies that empower young voters to make their vocies heard at the ballot box.
• 21 states are rated “slackers” for having a mix of policies that increase access to the ballot box for young people and those that restrict access.
• 20 states are rated “blockers” for having a majority of policies that actively suppress the votes of young people, such as restrictive identification requirements and permanent loss of voting rights for citizens with prior convictions.

“Last week, we saw the power that our generation has to elect the next generation of diverse state and local leaders who will fight alonside us for justice and equity,” said Rock the Vote President Carolyn DeWitt. “So it’s no wonder that leaders who feat that power are working overtime to restrict our voices and our votes. We’re excited for this new voting rights hub to empower young people across the country to take action and fight to protect our most basic freedom: the freedom to vote and hold our leaders accountable.”

Visit Rock the Vote’s new voting rights digital hub here: rtvote.com/statevotingrights

Read more from Rock the Vote’s Carolyn DeWitt on the fight for young people’s access to democracy here: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/lawmakers-fear-the-power-of-the-youth.