Political battleground states that are key to the GOP’s hold on the House and Senate have experienced a surge in young voter registration since the Feb. 14 Parkland, Fla., high school shootings that sparked national calls for greater youth involvement in politics.
A new report provided to Secrets said that in some states, 61 percent of newly registered voters are young.
The political data firm TargetSmart reviewed voter roles in 40 states, and saw an increase of registered voters 18-29 in all but five.
Pennsylvania led the way. Said the report, “Pennsylvania – which has November elections for U.S. senator, governor, and many critical House races – saw youth voter registration surge by over 16 points after February 14, jumping from 45.2 percent to 61.4 percent of new registrants.”
West Virginia saw the biggest drop. Overall the growth was a statistically significant 2.16 percent. Polls show that a majority of younger voters lean Democrat.
“A new generation of political leaders emerged in the aftermath of the Parkland tragedy,” said TargetSmart CEO Tom Bonier. “We witnessed their ability to organize as massive crowds took to the streets for the March for Our Lives, and now we’re seeing a quantifiable impact from that organizing. It remains to be seen how many of these younger registrants will cast a ballot in November, but they are poised to have a louder voice than ever in these critical midterm elections.”
Liberal activist Tom Steyer’s NextGen America is hopeful that the new registered voters will follow through on Election Day and vote Republicans out.
“As the largest eligible voting bloc, young people have the power to make the difference in critical races across the country, and it is clear that they are energized like never before to make their voices heard,” said NextGen America Executive Director Heather Hargreaves. “NextGen America has seen this passion firsthand, and has already registered over 73,000 young people to vote this year alone. We are organizing everyday to ensure that young voters head to the polls in November and ultimately create long-lasting political power necessary for progressive change in our country,” she added.
