Voter List Maintenance and Youth Turnout

• In Event: Impact of (Non-political) Life Events on Voter Registration

Abstract

Recent scholarship indicates that many younger voters turn out in the first general election in which they are eligible, but that they subsequently disengage from the electoral process at a higher rate than older voters. When comparing the turnout rates of younger and older registered voters, this pattern holds true across several states—Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. However, if we consider turnout as a function of the citizen voting age population (CVAP), a different pattern emerges. Comparing registered voter turnout to CVAP turnout across multiple states and election years, and holding constant the race, gender, and party of voters, we observe the greatest variation between the two turnout measures to be among the youngest cohort of voters. We argue that the discrepancy in the turnout rate of registered voters versus the turnout rate of the CVAP—which is the most dramatic among younger voters—is likely explained by greater “deadwood” in voter registration records of younger voters as much as issues of voter retention. Indeed, the steep decline in the turnout rate among younger registered voters largely disappears when we examine CVAP turnout rates among younger voters; the apparent gulf in turnout rates may simply be a symptom of an inflated number of voter registrations of younger voters who have moved but who remain registered in the jurisdiction in which they first registered. Our exploration into patterns of youth voter turnout has important implications, as low rates among registered 19-25 year olds might be remedied with the adoption of more portable voter registration policies.

Authors

• Daniel A. Smith, University of Florida

• Anna Baringer