Mike Honda SAC 1

Ishan Sharma, Dustin Chiang, Shivani Kavuluru, Brandon Moore

Mike Honda Student Advisory Council (SAC)

30 May 2015

Voter Engagement Among Youth

I. Introduction

American government relies on voting constituents to write legislation, decide how tax

dollars are spent, and shape other policies. However, a recent trend shows a lack of voter

engagement among younger Americans. For example, according to Professor Mindy Romero of

UC Davis’s California Civic Engagement Process, only 8.2% of California’s eligible youth voted

in the 2010 General Election (Romero). In contrast, voters aged 55 and older were proportionally

overrepresented when compared to its range of eligible voters. This presents a troubling problem

for America’s next generation: With less than a tenth of California’s youth engaged in choosing

representatives that will shape policies affecting their lives – such as college tuition policies –

eligible young voters are both civically unattached and widely underrepresented. Revolving

around this disparity, this report aims to root out the problems on why CA-17 high school voters

are civically unengaged, and propose possible solutions to increase turnout based on survey data

we have collected.

II. Survey Methodology

We created a survey to gain information about voting habits of high schoolers in the CA-

17 district. Consisting of information from high school students across the district, our data was

collected through an online Google survey advertised primarily through Facebook. The

questionnaire was developed with the goal to, first, address issues of voter registration, and

Mike Honda SAC 2

second, gain knowledge on voting itself. Our first group of questions was made to gather

demographic information from responders, included below:

• Are you at least 18 years old?

• What high school do you attend?

• Do you live in California’s 17th Congressional District (Asked purely to see if

responder knows which district they live in)

Our second group of questions was made to gain knowledge on issues of voter registration, listed

below:

• For those 18 and older, are you currently registered to vote?

• If you have been handed a voter registration form (without your initiative), did you

register to vote as a result?

• Would you be more likely to register to vote if a teacher at school handed you a voter

registration form?

Finally, we asked a third group of questions, which aimed to gain insight on why voter turnout

among youth is so low, and possible ways to solve this problem:

• If you will be at least 18 years old by the next presidential election (Nov 8, 2016), do

you plan to vote in the next presidential election?

• How important do you think your vote is?

• How enthusiastic are you about voting?

• Why would you not want to vote?

• What would sway you to vote?

Although our surveying was deliberately drafted with non-partisan wording and through careful

processes, there were some limitations. Our survey was advertised through Facebook, thus

Mike Honda SAC 3

limiting the variety of respondents. Additionally, a majority of our respondents were from

Mission San Jose High, Cupertino High, and Lynbrook High. However, while this might be a

limitation in terms of the variety of respondents, the demographics of these schools do closely

represent the demographics of CA-17.

Based on the analysis of our compiled data, we propose several recommendations to

increase voter registration and voter turn out. First, we firmly believe high school government

teachers should be pushed to hand out voter registration forms when students turn 18 years old.

Based on our data, ___ of applicants said they were more likely to register to vote if handed a

voter registration form. Building off this trend of civically engaging students at an early age, we

also believe teachers should push for an impartial caucus of issues and candidates, especially

around elections. This offers an intimate, and often deeper, involvement in politics, further

encouraging students to vote.

III. Data Report and Analysis

Mike Honda SAC 4

Very UnenthusiasticUnenthusiastic

Neutral

Somewhat

Enthusiastic

Very

Enthusiastic

How enthusiastic are you about

voting?

# of

Respondents

%

Yes 16 16.84%

No 79 83.16%

Total 95 100.00%

# of

Respondents

%

Very Important 115 44.92%

Somewhat

Important

117 45.70%

Not Important 24 9.38%

Total 256 100.00%

# of

Respondents

%

Very Enthusiastic 71 27.73%

Somewhat Enthusiastic 108 42.19%

Neutral 66 25.78%

Unenthusiastic 9 3.52%

Very Unenthusiastic 2 0.78%

Total 256 100.00%

Very

Important

Somewhat

Important

Not

Important

How important do you think

your vote is?

Yes No

For those 18 and older, are you

currently registered to vote?

Mike Honda SAC 5

# of

Respondents

%

Yes 115 44.92%

No 4 1.56%

I Don’t Know 137 53.52%

Total 256 100.00%

# of

Respondents

%

Yes 188 81.03%

No 18 7.76%

Not Sure 26 11.21%

Total 232 100.00%

# of

Respondents

%

I Don't Care About

Politics

33 12.89%

My Vote Doesn't

Matter

44 17.19%

I Don't Know Who is

Running 61 23.83%

I Don't Know Where to

Vote 44 17.19%

I Want to Vote 24 9.37%

Other 50 19.53%

Total 256 100.00%

Not Sure

No

Yes

If you will be at least 18 years old by the

next presidential election (Nov 8, 2016), do

you plan to vote in the next presidential

election?

I Don't Know

No

Yes

Do you live in California's 17th

Congressional District?

Don't

Care

About

PoliticsVote

Doesn't

Matter

Don't

Know

Who is

Running

Don't

Know

Where to

Vote

I Want to

Vote

Other

Why would you NOT want to

vote?

Mike Honda SAC 6

# of

Respondents

%

Yes 215 83.98%

No 41 16.02%

Total 256 100.00%

# of

Respondents

%

Yes 12 26.67%

No 33 73.33%

Total 45 100.00%

Yes

No

If you have been handed a voter

registration form (without your

own initiative), did you register to

vote as a result?

Yes

No

Would you be more likely to

register to vote if a teacher at

school handed you a voter

registration form?

Mike Honda SAC 7

Key Takeaways

90.62% of respondents consider their vote to be somewhat or very important

Yet, only 16.84% of those 18 and older are registered to vote

69.92% of respondents are somewhat or very enthusiastic about voting

81.03% of eligible voters plan to vote in the November 2016 elections

53.52% of respondents didn’t know whether or not they lived in California’s 17th

Congressional District, while 1.56% incorrectly stated that they did not live in the district

26.67% of respondents who have been handed a voter registration form ended up registering

to vote as a direct result

83.98% of respondents said they would be more likely to register to vote if a teacher at

school handed them a voter registration form

IV. Recommendations

a. Preface

Based on the analysis of our compiled data, we propose several recommendations to

increase voter registration. 69.92% of respondents said they are somewhat or very enthusiastic

about voting, and an even higher percentage – 90.62% – consider their vote to be somewhat or

very important; However, these statistics greatly contrast with the low voter turnout CA-17 has

been receiving from our youth. Although students want to vote and believe their vote is

important, many of them cited a lack of knowledge about the political process as a major reason

why they vote. In fact, 53.52% of our survey respondents did not know what congressional

district they lived in. Observed in the classroom and demonstrated through our survey, students

are deterred by the nebulous array of candidate platforms and policies, and are therefore

uninclined to cast an educated ballot.

b. Educators and Voter Registration

Mike Honda SAC 8

Educators can play an important part in civically empowering their students. Starting

from getting voters registered, teachers in government or history classes can hand out voter

registration forms as soon as students turn 18. Having a tangible form the hands of students

would dramatically increase the likelihood of them registering. In our survey, 26.67% of those

who were handed a voter registration form actually ended up registering to vote. A 26% increase

in registered youth voters account equates to about a margin of error in an election – enough to

subtly but dramatically change results.

c. Classroom Discussions

Educators can also play a prominent part in actually getting students to vote. Arranging

for an impartial caucus of issues and candidates, especially around elections, would provide

students with an intimate experience with the civic process. As a result, this would force students

to think about politics in a way that importantly affects them, encouraging them to vote.

Civically engaging students as early as elementary school would also help in plant the idea of

voting in the minds of young citizens: Elementary school teachers should have impartial

discussions about the voting process and how elections work. Teachers amplifying these

discussion in high school will allow students to develop their own ideas about voting and acquire

a sense of accountability to the voting process.

d. Mock Elections

Having students participate in mock elections in another engaging way to get students

involved and make voting a habit. The California Secretary of State offers MyVote Student

Mock Elections for high school and middle school students across California. Participating in an

election can give students a first-hand experience on the power of their vote – especially if they

are not old enough to vote (Inspiring a New Generation of Voters). Pulling on prospective

Mike Honda SAC 9

voters’ interest in competition, mock elections can stir early interest in politics and uncover a

Mock elections also provide teachers with a unique hands-on activity to inform their students

with.

V. Conclusion

Truly, there is more we can do to get students involved in the voting process. While

educators are already doing a good job getting students civically engaged, more can be done to

spread and use these methods. In essence, the student vote is not only imperative to getting

voices represented, but is also imperative to the democracy our nation is built upon. While we

don’t have all the answers to get young voters engaged, we have evidence to suggest that there is

hope in seeing change, and have palpable solutions to see young voter engagement increase.

Let’s break down potential barriers so it’s easy and enjoyable for students to vote. Our future

depends on it.

Mike Honda SAC 10

Works Cited

"Inspiring a New Generation of Voters." California Secretary of State Alex Padilla. California

Secretary of State, Web. 30 May 2015.

Romero, Mindy. "California’s New Political Realities: The Impact of the Youth Vote on Our

Electoral Landscape." 2014 General Election 60% Highlights: California’s New Political

Realities: The Impact of the Youth Vote on Our Electoral Landscape (2015): 1-10. UC

Davis Center for Regional Cange. UC Davis Center for Regional Change, Jan. 2015.

Web. 23 May 2015.