Project Vote supports a new federal bill aimed at increasing civic participation for young Americans. Today, Congressmen Don Beyer and Keith Ellison introduced the Pre-registration of Voters Everywhere (PROVE) Act, which would give 16- and 17-year-olds the opportunity to preregister to vote.
About a dozen states currently or soon will offer preregistration, a practice that allows registration of citizens under age 18, even if they will not reach voting age by the next election. Pre-registrants are automatically added to the voter rolls once they become eligible. This practice provides young people more time and opportunities to register to vote and it allows the incorporation of practical registration activities into programs conducted by agencies, organizations, and schools. The PROVE act also encourages civics programs by providing state grants.
For a simple reform, the potential benefits are huge. While young people generally lag in voter turnout, people who preregistered tend to vote at higher rates than their peers and this positive effect is even greater for young people of color. Preregistration can also benefit election administrators by reducing the mass of new registrations submitted right before a major election. And it can be easy to implement because preregistration usually requires only minor changes to registration forms and the database. (Learn more about preregistration and other measures to boost voter registration and turnout rates of young citizens here.)
Although many factors contribute to low turnout, voter registration issues serve as a clear participation barrier for young people. This is compounded by the trend away from civics education programs geared at engaging young people and explaining critical election rules and procedures. We commend Congressmen Don Beyer and Keith Ellison for introducing a bill that promises to help young Americans by encouraging civics education and making registration easier for our nation’s newest young voters.