Voter turnout in the 2014 midterm elections (36.3 percent) was the lowest it’s been since World War II. Turnout for local elections is even lower, with research showing only 1 in 5 eligible voters show up for mayoral elections.
Young people are moving to cities—and particularly to downtown areas—in greater number than any other age group. They are remaking cities across the country, and have the opportunity to be powerful forces for change. But it’s hard to have influence when you don’t show up to vote, and young people vote at lower rates in local elections than any other age group.
Voting and elections are a big deal for the Knight Foundation, since its founders– John S. and James L. Knight–believed that a well-informed community could best determine its own true interests and was essential to a well-functioning, representative democracy. As such, local elections provide a measure of how engaged people are in improving their communities, and of how connected people feel to their cities. It’s a lofty ideal, but democracy is stronger when more people show up to help make decisions. Higher turnout helps governments and residents better communicate with each other, and builds stronger connections between the work of local governments and the things we care about.
This led the Knight Foundation to ask: Why don’t more millennials vote in local elections? They worked with Lake Research Partners to look at the existing research, and then conducted focus groups in Akron, Ohio, Miami and Philadelphia with 60 millennials (ages 20 to 34) who voted in the 2012 presidential election but haven’t voted in recent local elections. These conversations provide insight into what motivates and obstructs millennials in local voting.
For instance, focus group participants were most motivated by messages that were positive, elicited pride in their city and framed how voting could tangibly impact issues they find important. They find it particularly powerful to include a list of the ways in which local government specifically plays a role in their everyday lives and how voting allows their voice to be heard.
Recent studies have shown that Americans have higher levels of trust in local government than federal government. This may be true, but this research suggests millennials struggle with clearly understanding the roles served by local government. Demonstrating to millennials how local government affects their lives and its importance in addressing the issues they passionately care about in their community will be vital for encouraging them to vote in local elections.
Read more about the Knight Foundation’s work on local elections at: