Why young people vote at lower rates
Low turnout among young voters is “not a new phenomenon,” said Mark Smith, a UW political science professor, noting the pattern goes back decades. Several factors can influence whether or not someone casts a ballot.
“The more stable that people are, the longer they’ve lived in a place, that affects their likelihood of voting,” he said, adding that other variables, like getting contacted by political campaigns and feeling like one’s participation makes a difference, also matter.
Combined, Smith said this adds up to younger groups “having less of those things, in general, than older people.” He also described the political system as complicated,
