Victory! MD 17-Year-Olds to Vote in 2008 Primaries

This just in! Today, the Maryland State Board of Elections reinstated the right of 17-year-olds to vote in the February 12th presidential primaries if they will be 18 by the time of the 2008 general election.

This ends a months-long fight - reported on yesterday - and is great news for young Maryland voters and for voting rights in general. Congratulations to everyone who worked hard to protect the right to vote, including FairVote, State Senator Jamie Raskin, the Maryland Democratic Party, Maryland Republican Party, and Maryland students and young adults.

Now let's make sure everyone gets registered! The deadline to register for the Maryland primaries is January 22nd. You can do it right here - piece of cake - and send it along to your friends, too.

On that note - primaries and caucuses are happening in every state over the next few months. You can find out when your state's primary is here, and when the deadline is to register. Check it out and make sure all your friends do, too.

Another Attempt to Disenfranchise Young Voters

I'm starting to see a disturbing trend.

Maryland, on the heels of Iowa and Georgia, is in the middle of a battle over youth voting rights.

Here's the story: In Maryland, 17-year-olds can vote in primary elections if they will be 18 by the time of the general election. That's been the policy since the 1970s.

Makes sense, right? You vote in the general election, you want to have a say in who gets to be on the ballot that day. Plus, we know that voting is a habit that, if begun early, leads to a lifetime of political engagement. Seems like something we'd want to encourage.

Unfortunately, the Maryland State Board of Elections (SBE) recently decided to upend that long-standing policy and bar 17-year-olds from voting in primaries. With no public input from Maryland residents or the political parties, the SBE decided to disenfranchise 17-year-olds, and even began sending them letters informing them they would not be allowed to vote in the state's upcoming presidential primary on February 12th. Outrageous.

Here's the good news. Both the Maryland Democratic and Republican parties, voting rights advocates, youth organizations, and voting rights leader State Senator Jamie Raskin spoke out forcefully against this policy change, and demanded a ruling from the state Attorney General on the issue.

Earlier today, the Maryland Attorney General issued a statement in which he recommended that Maryland's 17-year-olds be allowed to vote in the Feb. 12 presidential primary. The final decision goes back to the Board of Elections tomorrow, and they are expected to reinstate the rights of 17-year-olds to vote on February 12th.

We'll keep you updated on the SBE's Thursday ruling, and also on follow-up voter education actions. Already, the Maryland-based group FairVote announced a public education campaign with the Maryland Association of Secondary School Principals to make sure all eligible students are aware of the upcoming January 22nd voter registration deadline.

So check back here for updates, and if you live in Maryland, make sure you're registered to vote! You can register right here.

To go back to the beginning, though - this is a disturbing trend, and we need to put a stop to it. As the New York Times said in a recent editorial entitled "Keeping Students Away from the Polls," "The campaigns of fear and intimidation that once kept black voters from casting ballots didn’t end when Congress passed the Voting Rights Act."

Have you seen voter intimidation in your community or on your campus? What do you think we should all be doing to stop it? Let us know in the comments, and check back here for updates on our work.

And as always, make your voice heard by Rocking the Vote every day. Register to vote here, get your friends to register, join our Facebook group, sign up to be a street team leader, volunteer - there are dozens of things each of us can do to Rock the Vote in 2008.

Rock the Vote Statement on Iowa Student Voting Rights

Dec. 11, 2007: Official statement from Rock the Vote Executive Director Heather Smith regarding the rights of college students to vote in the upcoming Iowa caucuses:

“Over the past week, several campaigns, candidates and political reporters have stated that college students who moved to Iowa to attend school should not vote in the Iowa caucuses.

“These statements are a frustrating and disappointing attempt to suppress the student vote, and are also legally incorrect. According to the Iowa Secretary of State, all Iowa students have the right to vote in the town where they attend college in Iowa. From the Secretary’s website:

‘If you are from another state (i.e. Illinois) and are attending college in Iowa (i.e. Iowa State University), you may register to vote in:
• your Iowa college town or
• your home state (hometown) and vote absentee - subject to the laws of your home state.’

“To tell students that they can only vote in the town that they came from, rather than in the town where they live, is a clear effort to disenfranchise student voters. Attempts on the part of campaigns to deter eligible voters from voting should be forcefully and immediately denounced.

“These statements are even more disturbing given the unprecedented levels of engagement we’re seeing from today’s young voters – both in participating in the 2008 campaigns, organizing their peers to register and vote in the caucuses and primaries, and in their recent historic turnout levels in the 2004 and 2006 elections. Young adults’ growing political participation should be encouraged, not deterred.

“Rock the Vote urges every campaign and candidate to issue a statement that validates students’ right to vote in Iowa and lauds young Americans for their increased engagement in the political process. We also encourage all media outlets to make clear in their reporting leading up to January 3rd that college students have rights equal to any Iowa resident to vote in the Iowa caucuses.

“Students go to a college or university for 4 or 5 years and many stay on in those communities afterwards. They pay sales tax, many work full or part-time jobs and pay income tax, and they are subject to the laws of the community in which they live – they have every right to vote in that community, legally and morally.

“It is important to note that this is an issue larger than the Iowa caucuses. Legally, students have the right to vote where they go to school in virtually every state across the country. Despite this, we see challenges to student voters year after year. As we have in the past, Rock the Vote will make sure all students know their rights in 2008, and will work to ensure all eligible voters are allowed to register and vote in the 2008 elections.

“Rock the Vote’s Iowa program Rock the Caucus aims to mobilize high school and college students to caucus on January 3rd. As always, Rock the Vote will aggressively ensure young people know that if they live in Iowa, they can vote in Iowa, and let them know where candidates stand on important issues like student voting rights.

“Again, Rock the Vote urges every candidate to issue a statement that clearly validates students’ right to vote in Iowa and lauds young Americans for their increased engagement in the political process.

For more information:
Chrissy Faessen, 202-223-1520 x114, chrissy (at) rockthevote.com

For the Media: Young Voter Myths and Facts

Given recent media interest in young voters, particularly as the primaries approach, Rock the Vote created a new factsheet, Young Voter Myths and Facts (PDF), as a quick and easy resource outlining key facts about the youth vote. Also included is the latest young voter primary polling, including updates from Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and nationwide polls.

The new factsheet is also a great resource for those working in youth politics, campaigns interested in mobilizing young voters, and others.

You can download the full document, including charts and polling, here.

Excerpts below:

Myth - Every election year, reporters and organizations hype the youth vote as the next big thing, but come Election Day, young voters fail to materialize at the polls.

Fact - It’s true that there was a lot of talk about young voters in both 2004 and 2006 – but for very good reason. After a nearly continuous downward turnout trend since 1972, turnout among 18-29 year olds was up significantly in 2004 and 2006.

• In 2004, 20.1 million 18-29 year olds voted, a 4.3 million jump over 2000. The turnout increase (9% points) among the youngest voters was more than double that of the overall electorate (4% points). (U.S. Census Bureau)

• In 2006, the youth increased by 1.9 million over 2002 levels. Turnout among the youngest voters grew by 3% points over 2002, twice the turnout increase (1.7% points) of older voters. (U.S. Census Bureau)
  

In fact, in 2004 the turnout rate of 18-29 year olds was higher than all but one year (1992) since 18-20 year olds got voting rights in 1972.

Myth – Even if turnout went up in 2004, it’s probably just a blip in the radar screen like 1992.

Fact - While we can’t predict the future, there are a number of indicators that 2004 was the beginning of a trend.

• 2006: Turnout rose again in the 2006 elections - the first increase in 18-29 year old turnout in a midterm election in 24 years – and also the first in 24 years to sustain over two elections. (U.S. Census Bureau)

• Engagement: Reams of research on today’s youth vote shows that they are paying more attention to politics and elections than they were before the 2004 elections. (See chart for one example)

• Mobilization: Higher youth turnout in 2004 and 2006 was in part the result of increased outreach efforts from nonpartisan groups and campaigns, which will continue in 2008.
• In 2004, nonpartisan groups invested $40 million in registering and turning out young voters. In 2006, these groups again invested millions in mobilization efforts.
• Research proves that outreach increases turnout – if campaigns work the youth vote, it works. Phones calls and door-knocks increase turnout by 5-10 points, and more than 80% of youth who get registered end up going to the polls.
  

Myth - The youth vote can’t make much of a difference in elections.

Fact - The youth vote can make – and has made –the difference in close elections. Their sheer size, combined with growing rates of voter turnout makes them a politically powerful voting bloc.

• In 2004, the size of the 18-29 year old electorate (20.1 million voters) rivaled that of the much-coveted senior vote (22.3 million voters over 65). (U.S. Census Bureau)

• By 2008, there will be 44 million 18-29 year olds eligible to vote – one-fifth of the voting eligible population.
  

Fact - In 2006, young voters made the difference in races where campaigns ran youth outreach efforts. When campaigns and candidates work the youth vote, it works.

• Montana: Tester defeated Burns by 3,562 votes; 18-29 turnout was up by 39,106 votes over 2002.
• Virginia: Webb defeated Allen by 9,329 votes; 18-29 turnout was up by 110,453 votes over 2002.
• Missouri: McCaskill defeated Talent by 48,314 votes, 18-29 turnout was up by 108,269 votes.
• CT-02: Joe Courtney won by 83 votes; turnout at the UConn polling place was up nearly 10x that.
  

Myth – In 2004, young voters didn’t turn out to the Iowa caucuses and are the reason Howard Dean didn’t win.

Fact – In 2004, 17-29 year olds quadrupled their Iowa caucus turnout compared to 2000, and made up 17% of all caucus-goers (more than the 15% 30-44 year olds made up).

As for vote choice, the plurality (35%) of 17-29 year olds voted for John Kerry, the winner, while 25% voted for Dean and 20% for John Edwards. (Sources: Iowa caucus entrance poll, http://www.cnn.com, and CIRCLE at the University of Maryland, www.civicyouth.org)

Myth - Young voters are flocking to [fill in the blank] candidate. If he/she loses in Iowa, or New Hampshire or South Carolina, it’ll be because young adults didn’t vote.

Fact – No one has the youth vote sewn up, particularly in the wide-open primary races. Young voters aren’t a monolithic bloc – like all voters, they split their votes between candidates, make up their minds based on a variety of factors, are different state-by-state, and will vote if or when that candidate asks for their vote.

See the full report for polling on young voter ballot choice in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and nationwide.

Get Young Voter Myths and Facts here, and for more information, please visit our library of research, polling, facts and figures on young people at www.rockthevote.com/research.