Learn about the surge in voter registration on National Voter Registration Day, led by young people and first-time voters. See how Vote.org registered over 150,000 people on this day alone and over 279,400 throughout the year.
Original post of USA Today
Voter registration is breaking records as Election Day approaches, particularly among young people, many of whom are first-time voters.
On Tuesday’s National Voter Registration Day more than 150,000 people registered through Vote.org, the most the organization has ever seen on that day. The organization registered 279,400 voters in all of last year.
Last week, 337,826 people visited a link posted on Instagram by pop star Taylor Swift that directed them to their state’s voter registration site.
Although Swift noted that she would be voting for the Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, people don’t have to declare a party affiliation when they register and neither vote.org nor Swift tracked registrations by party. Vote.org has previously told USA TODAY that about 80% of people they register turn out in the next election.
Jon Luke Young, manager for the Get Out the Vote department of the New Georgia Project, speaks with canvassers to encourage people to register to vote in Atlanta, Georgia on May 12, 2022.
A huge percentage of the newly registered voters are young people, many voting for the first time.
According to Vote.org, voters under 35 made up 81% of Tuesday’s registrations, with the biggest spike among 18-year-olds. On this year’s National Voter Registration Day, 11% of those registered were 18, which is 53% higher than on the same day four years ago.
“We’re really seeing a surge in 18-year-olds registering to vote.” Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey said. “We know that we can onboard the next generation of voters into our democracy if we can get people to register and get out to these elections.”
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, is also trying to make it easier for people to register to vote.
After years of lobbying, she announced Friday that those filing out applications for health insurance through the HealthCare.Gov website would be offered an option to receive information on voter registration.
“The health of our democracy depends on Americans registering and exercising their right to vote,” Warren said in a statement. Many people looking for coverage through the website have low-wage jobs that don’t offer insurance or are just coming off of their parents’ insurance at age 26.
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