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Youth vote
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The youth vote is a political term used primarily in the United States to describe 18 to 25-year-olds and their voting habits.
The term "Youth Vote" goes back to the 1930s, when low-income rural and urban young people in the United States were first mobilized to vote in blocs by the youth activism movement. Their issues were largely related to joblessness, homelessness, education, and guaranteed income.
While youth were alternately activated and suppressed in their voting habits through the 1950s, the early 1960s saw a renewed interest in encouraging young peoples' progressive voting habits. When Students for a Democratic Society put out a global call to action for youth via the Port Huron Statement, millions of youth around the world reacted. A variety of youth voting efforts sprung up across Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa. The United States experienced a massive upsurge in youth civic action of all sorts, with a particular emphasis on the youth vote. A variety of organizations, including the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the Black Panthers, the Young Lords, and Youth Liberation of Ann Arbor each worked to encourage young people to vote together and for common issues.
Today, a number of organizations proclaim their commitment to garnering the youth voice. They include Rock the Vote, League of Young Voters, Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) and YouthVote USA.
- Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at the University of Maryland, College Park