“You are the demographic that votes the least. Quit being suckers; get out and vote!”
My professors’ words played over and over again in my head on the way back from the voting station where I did not participate in my first election. I am among the hordes of people in the notorious 18 to 29-year-old age bracket that has not utilized its right to participatory democracy. This was not a decision made because I am apathetic or because I see no value in voting. Rather, I went in with every intention of voting before volunteers turned me away.
When a volunteer tried to pull up my name on her computerized voting list, I did not show up as registered although I felt certain I had. When I affirmed my status as an Emory student, the matter-of-fact response was unsettling: “Oh, that’s why. This happens a lot with Emory students. Did you register with an organization on campus?”
I had. The volunteers went on to explain the tendency for Emory groups to make mistakes registering students to vote, negating the registration. Trying to wrap my head around all this, I sat down dejectedly in time to witness another young woman receiving the same news.
It is the demographic you would least expect: pale-skinned, naturalized citizens. All I could think was that we were students in a young age bracket. Georgia is a largely conservative state and young people tend to lean more to the left than other age brackets do. It appears there is a systemic problem here.
In the state of Georgia, new documentation requirements were enacted July 1 of this year, greatly frustrating the process for attaining or renewing a driver’s license or state ID. In addition to a birth certificate and social security card, applicants must provide two proofs of residence of different types (such as a bill, proof of employment, bank statement) which each have a full name and address printed both on the envelope and on the correspondence inside.
This makes it incredibly difficult for anyone to attain the identification required to vote in the state of Georgia. It is difficult to see a specific group being targeted here, but then one remembers who would be seeking an ID card for the first time. Young people and the economically disadvantaged (who are too busy working to keep coming to the Department of Driver Services) are disproportionately affected by these changes.
Aside from trouble with mass registration and attainment of a valid form of identification, many young people are unaware of the laws in their state until it is too late to do anything about it.
According to a poll conducted by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) this past summer, 44 percent of young people are ignorant of the voter ID laws in their state and about 60 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 29 were unsure of registration deadlines.
Low turnout among young voters may be a product more of institutional hurdles and misinformation than of apathy or rebellion. Rather than blaming the youth for their lack of participation, greater efforts should be made to educate students on the details of voting laws and how to stay on top of changes. Concerned citizens should not simply encourage young people to vote but walk them through the increasingly complicated process of voting.
I am sorry to have not participated in this year’s election, but I hope to use my experience to promote institutional change.
Elizabeth Hennig is a college Sophomore from Georgetown, Texas.
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