Our democracy works best when we all participate and everyone weighs in on who gets elected.
We believe that the full participation of young people in the political process is essential to a truly representative, vibrant democracy.
Together young people have the power to elect the next generation of leaders who will fight for our shared vision of the future, but only if we vote.
WashPIRG’s New Voters Project works on campuses across the state to activate the largest voting block in the country. to activate the largest voting block in the country. Whether our program is remote or in person, we work to make sure every student has the opportunity to have their voice heard in our elections.
Together we can have an impact on our future, on our state, and the country.
2022 – Year of the Youth Vote
Despite record-breaking progress during the 2020 and 2018 elections, young people continue to be underrepresented in our democracy. Only 50 percent of eligible 18-29 year-olds voted, compared to 65 percent of the voting eligible population. We must do all we can to change this dynamic and ensure young people are participating in the political process.
While the national youth voter turnout rate is lower than the general population, students on college campuses, on average, turnout at the same rate as the general population!
College campuses are key to organize in order to shift the overall narrative. Research shows that when you register to vote and then remind young people to vote, they are significantly more likely to vote.
In 2022, we helped over 600 students register to vote and made over 3,500 peer-to-peer get-out-the-vote contacts, helping contribute to record-breaking youth voter turnout.
Preliminary results from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) estimates that the percentage of all eligible young voters, ages 18-29, who cast a ballot in 2022 will reach 27%, the second-highest national voter youth turnout rate for a midterm election in nearly 30 years!
And in the places where WashPIRG’s New Voters Project organized, students made the difference.
Register to Vote or Update Your Registration: StudentVote.org