Youth
Voting Rights
Campus Vote Project is dedicated to supporting increased access to the democratic process, specifically highlighting and tackling the barriers that young people and students face. We work to help young people gain access to the polls in a variety of ways including hosting the Youth Voting Rights Working Group with support from Rock the Vote and CIRCLE.
We work to help
young people gain
access to the polls.
The Youth
Voting Rights
Working Group
The Youth Voting Rights Working Group brings together state, local, and national groups across the country all focused on advancing voting rights to discuss critical topics such as implementing same-day voter registration, recruiting young people as poll workers, and Election Protection.
Join the Youth Voting Rights Working Group listserv and join our monthly calls...
Youth Voting Rights
CVP also supports youth voting in several other ways. We support on-the-ground work, send out calls to action around important legislation or initiatives, and keep up-to-date state student voter guides with important election information.
Democracy’s Future: Proposals to Expand Access to Registration and Voting for a New Generation
Fair Elections Center and Campus Vote Project released the report “Democracy’s Future” in 2019. This resource identifies key barriers to youth registration and voting and opportunities to expand access. It provides best practices, useful background information, and concrete solutions including model legislation and policies to expand access to this new generation of voters. Its components span the civic engagement spectrum from voter registration and voter education to the ability to cast a valid ballot.
Key Policy Areas
Preregistration
of 16- and 17-
Year-Olds
Expanding voter registration to include preregistration for young voters prepares them for voting when they turn 18, automatically registers them as voters, gets them on the list to receive information from election officials, and makes updates more efficient.
Student ID as Voter ID
States with voter ID laws should always include student IDs in the acceptable forms of identification.
On-Campus Voter Registration and Voter Information Opportunities
States can expand voter registration and voter information available to students through a variety of reforms connected to their institutions that make student registration easier and more efficient.
On-Campus Polling Places
Campus polling places during early voting and on Election Day offer students the same opportunity to vote in their community as other voters.
Residency Rules Affecting Students
Residency rules can—but should not--interfere with students’ rights to register and vote where they live, including on campus.
Students as Poll Workers
Student poll workers are a win-win for election officials. They are a pool of tech-savvy and bilingual community members, and students can deepen their civic engagement connections and service.
