You(th) Vote
What Can Inspire Young People to Vote?

Today’s Activities

Your Voice Matters

What can inspire young people to be more involved in the democratic process?  

What would get young people to vote? These teens have some ideas

Explore

If you’re too young to vote, how else can you get involved?

Participating in Government [ushistory.org] 

You can write letters to your political representatives, you can start a petition, attend school board meetings – there are so many ways young people can affect change. 

You can find the addresses of your elected representatives easily: 

For your California representatives;

Send a respectful, well-worded email to your representative about an issue of importance to you.  

Or you can take more concrete action – here are some ideas:

DoSomething.org: Let’s Do This!

You can invite speakers to your school or youth organization, as these young people did: Students: YAF – Conservative Student Activists

Or you can be involved here: https://youthactivismproject.org

And: 

You can pre-register to vote when you’re 16 years old

Pre-register at 16. vote at 18.

Explain

Why do you think young people don’t get more involved?

Youth Voter Turnout: Why Is It So Low?

Do you agree with the ideas presented in this video?  Why or why not? 

What can you do to address a problem that faces you or your community?  Write a brief paragraph describing a problem that needs to be addressed and list three actions you can take to help solve the problem.

Elaborate

How do you know who to vote for?

Take this issue-based quiz to find out which candidate best supports your positions.

America’s most popular voting guide for elections, political issues, candidates, and poll data

Extend

What have other young people done to make a change?

Here are young students who have made a difference:

Here’s an article about students who sued their state in order to have access to civics education: 

Rhode Island lawsuit: Students sue for the right to learn civics

What will you do?

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