Interview Transcript
Sophia Saliby: According to research from Tufts University, Michigan saw the highest turnout of young voters across the country during the 2022 election.
But a recent report from the Secretary of State’s office shows there’s still some hurdles to getting Michiganders under 30 to the polls.
Sarah Reckhow is a Michigan State University political science professor. She’s here with me now to break down this report.
Sarah Reckhow: Thanks for having me.
Saliby: I want to talk about two gaps the report identified in young voter participation. The first is between people who are active registered voters and those who cast a ballot.
So for example, in 2020, while more than 1.4 million Michiganders in this 18-29 age range were registered to vote, only about 864,000 cast their ballot in the presidential election. So, that's a 38% difference. Why do you think young people registered to vote but don't necessarily go to the polls on Election Day?
Reckhow: So, we know from many years of research about voter turnout, that for young voters, we often observe a gap between the intent to vote and then carrying out their vote. And this is very much related to the simple fact that compared to older voters who have had years, if not decades, of experience with the process of voting for young people, this is new. It may be their first or second or third opportunity to do so. They have not necessarily developed the habit of voting. They are still getting acquainted with the processes. And so, even if they have the intent, they may not carry it out.
There's also other hurdles. Young people are often more mobile in terms of their place of residence. And because voting is tied to where you live, that can change things for young people in terms of figuring out exactly where they vote, where they're registered, where their polling places, things of that nature. It's, of course, easier now with no excuse absentee, but even that information does need to fully reach the folks who need to know it.
Saliby: The second gap identified in the report is between young people with college experience and those who have none. Where do you think the disconnect is when it comes to voter outreach for residents who maybe only have their high school diploma?
Reckhow: Yeah, so this, again, is a very long-standing finding about voter turnout. And it's actually not just applicable to young people. There is an association between higher education and voter turnout across the electorate, and we are seeing it here with young people.
I think it's also probably important to consider the ways that college campuses provide a space to mobilize young voters where they can easily be reached. And for young voters who are not on college campuses, the sort of mobilization process organizations, contacting them, and connecting them, might not be quite as, you know, well-organized, well-oiled machine as it can be on college campuses.
Saliby: The report does name some ways to engage with young voters, especially to address these two gaps, like distributing election information in workplaces, partnering with influencers and conducting mock elections in schools. Do you think those will be effective in a new type of way for upcoming elections?
Reckhow: Yeah, I think that a lot of those are really good ideas. Speaking of the mock elections, there's really interesting research to suggest that we could do more with our civic education that is more practical and more applied to how you actually participate in government. And a lot of students really remember those experiences when they have them as students.
It's also interesting to connect this to the fact that now, due to recent legislation, 16-year-olds in Michigan and 17-year-olds can pre-register to vote. So, there's an opportunity to connect that pre-registration availability with something like mock elections at the high school level and really prepare young people for the process of voting.
Saliby: We talked on election night in 2022, and at the time, a lot of young voters were mobilizing around abortion issues. So, does the 2024 election have the same kind of marquee issue that will drive people to the polls? And I guess, a second question is, do you have any other predictions about young voter turnout in November?
Reckhow: So, it is really not clear for 2024 that we would have the same kind of marquee issue. There are no statewide ballot initiatives in Michigan for the 2024 General. Of course, the reproductive rights amendment in 2022. we saw that really connect with young voters.
Right now, of course, there is some discussion about what's really going on with the presidential race, but as you know, currently what we see are two fairly old candidates at the head of the ticket for each party that may not be very engaging for young voters. And I think that creates a lot of uncertainty for what we might see in this in this general election.
Saliby: Sarah Reckhow is an MSU political science professor. Thank you for joining me.
Reckhow: Thanks for having me.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
