Youth voter registration on the rise in Minnesota
High school senior Gillian Pete remembers feeling powerless after the 2016 election, when she was far too young to vote. She searched for other ways to participate in the political process, becoming active in her community.
“I started doing a lot more things that I could do, which was attending protests, school board meetings, being more civically engaged,” Pete said. “But this time around I have a direct voice in the election and I plan on using it.”
Now 18, the Minneapolis teenager registered to vote over the summer, joining a growing number of young people in Minnesota flocking to take part in the 2020 election between President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden.
Youth voter registration in Minnesota is on the rise compared with previous election cycles, even as young people face more challenges to casting their ballots during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minnesota is one of 20 states where voter registration of youth between 18 and 24 is already 12% higher this election season compared with 2016, according to a nonpartisan poll from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE).
https://www.startribune.com/youth-voter-registration-on-the-rise-in-minnesota/572444352/