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Ishan Sharma, Dustin Chiang, Shivani Kavuluru, Brandon Moore
Mike Honda Student Advisory Council (SAC)
30 May 2015
Voter Engagement Among Youth
I. Introduction
American government relies on voting constituents to write legislation, decide how tax
dollars are spent, and shape other policies. However, a recent trend shows a lack of voter
engagement among younger Americans. For example, according to Professor Mindy Romero of
UC Davis’s California Civic Engagement Process, only 8.2% of California’s eligible youth voted
in the 2010 General Election (Romero). In contrast, voters aged 55 and older were proportionally
overrepresented when compared to its range of eligible voters. This presents a troubling problem
for America’s next generation: With less than a tenth of California’s youth engaged in choosing
representatives that will shape policies affecting their lives – such as college tuition policies –
eligible young voters are both civically unattached and widely underrepresented. Revolving
around this disparity, this report aims to root out the problems on why CA-17 high school voters
are civically unengaged, and propose possible solutions to increase turnout based on survey data
we have collected.
II. Survey Methodology
We created a survey to gain information about voting habits of high schoolers in the CA-
17 district. Consisting of information from high school students across the district, our data was
collected through an online Google survey advertised primarily through Facebook. The
questionnaire was developed with the goal to, first, address issues of voter registration, and

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second, gain knowledge on voting itself. Our first group of questions was made to gather
demographic information from responders, included below:
• Are you at least 18 years old?
• What high school do you attend?
• Do you live in California’s 17th
Congressional District (Asked purely to see if
responder knows which district they live in)
Our second group of questions was made to gain knowledge on issues of voter registration, listed
below:
• For those 18 and older, are you currently registered to vote?
• If you have been handed a voter registration form (without your initiative), did you
register to vote as a result?
• Would you be more likely to register to vote if a teacher at school handed you a voter
registration form?
Finally, we asked a third group of questions, which aimed to gain insight on why voter turnout
among youth is so low, and possible ways to solve this problem:
• If you will be at least 18 years old by the next presidential election (Nov 8, 2016), do
you plan to vote in the next presidential election?
• How important do you think your vote is?
• How enthusiastic are you about voting?
• Why would you not want to vote?
• What would sway you to vote?
Although our surveying was deliberately drafted with non-partisan wording and through careful
processes, there were some limitations. Our survey was advertised through Facebook, thus

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limiting the variety of respondents. Additionally, a majority of our respondents were from
Mission San Jose High, Cupertino High, and Lynbrook High. However, while this might be a
limitation in terms of the variety of respondents, the demographics of these schools do closely
represent the demographics of CA-17.
Based on the analysis of our compiled data, we propose several recommendations to
increase voter registration and voter turn out. First, we firmly believe high school government
teachers should be pushed to hand out voter registration forms when students turn 18 years old.
Based on our data, ___ of applicants said they were more likely to register to vote if handed a
voter registration form. Building off this trend of civically engaging students at an early age, we
also believe teachers should push for an impartial caucus of issues and candidates, especially
around elections. This offers an intimate, and often deeper, involvement in politics, further
encouraging students to vote.
III. Data Report and Analysis

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Very Unenthusiastic
Unenthusiastic
Neutral
Somewhat
Enthusiastic
Very
Enthusiastic
How enthusiastic are you about
voting?
# of
Respondents
%
Yes 16 16.84%
No 79 83.16%
Total 95 100.00%
# of
Respondents
%
Very Important 115 44.92%
Somewhat
Important
117 45.70%
Not Important 24 9.38%
Total 256 100.00%
# of
Respondents
%
Very Enthusiastic 71 27.73%
Somewhat Enthusiastic 108 42.19%
Neutral 66 25.78%
Unenthusiastic 9 3.52%
Very Unenthusiastic 2 0.78%
Total 256 100.00%
Very
Important
Somewhat
Important
Not
Important
How important do you think
your vote is?
Yes No
For those 18 and older, are you
currently registered to vote?

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# of
Respondents
%
Yes 115 44.92%
No 4 1.56%
I Don’t Know 137 53.52%
Total 256 100.00%
# of
Respondents
%
Yes 188 81.03%
No 18 7.76%
Not Sure 26 11.21%
Total 232 100.00%
# of
Respondents
%
I Don't Care About
Politics
33 12.89%
My Vote Doesn't
Matter
44 17.19%
I Don't Know Who is
Running
61 23.83%
I Don't Know Where to
Vote
44 17.19%
I Want to Vote 24 9.37%
Other 50 19.53%
Total 256 100.00%
Not Sure
No
Yes
If you will be at least 18 years old by the
next presidential election (Nov 8, 2016), do
you plan to vote in the next presidential
election?
I Don't Know
No
Yes
Do you live in California's 17th
Congressional District?
Don't
Care
About
Politics
Vote
Doesn't
Matter
Don't
Know
Who is
Running
Don't
Know
Where to
Vote
I Want to
Vote
Other
Why would you NOT want to
vote?

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# of
Respondents
%
Yes 215 83.98%
No 41 16.02%
Total 256 100.00%
# of
Respondents
%
Yes 12 26.67%
No 33 73.33%
Total 45 100.00%
Yes
No
If you have been handed a voter
registration form (without your
own initiative), did you register to
vote as a result?
Yes
No
Would you be more likely to
register to vote if a teacher at
school handed you a voter
registration form?

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Key Takeaways
 90.62% of respondents consider their vote to be somewhat or very important
 Yet, only 16.84% of those 18 and older are registered to vote
 69.92% of respondents are somewhat or very enthusiastic about voting
 81.03% of eligible voters plan to vote in the November 2016 elections
 53.52% of respondents didn’t know whether or not they lived in California’s 17th
Congressional District, while 1.56% incorrectly stated that they did not live in the district
 26.67% of respondents who have been handed a voter registration form ended up registering
to vote as a direct result
 83.98% of respondents said they would be more likely to register to vote if a teacher at
school handed them a voter registration form
IV. Recommendations
a. Preface
Based on the analysis of our compiled data, we propose several recommendations to
increase voter registration. 69.92% of respondents said they are somewhat or very enthusiastic
about voting, and an even higher percentage – 90.62% – consider their vote to be somewhat or
very important; However, these statistics greatly contrast with the low voter turnout CA-17 has
been receiving from our youth. Although students want to vote and believe their vote is
important, many of them cited a lack of knowledge about the political process as a major reason
why they vote. In fact, 53.52% of our survey respondents did not know what congressional
district they lived in. Observed in the classroom and demonstrated through our survey, students
are deterred by the nebulous array of candidate platforms and policies, and are therefore
uninclined to cast an educated ballot.
b. Educators and Voter Registration

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Educators can play an important part in civically empowering their students. Starting
from getting voters registered, teachers in government or history classes can hand out voter
registration forms as soon as students turn 18. Having a tangible form the hands of students
would dramatically increase the likelihood of them registering. In our survey, 26.67% of those
who were handed a voter registration form actually ended up registering to vote. A 26% increase
in registered youth voters account equates to about a margin of error in an election – enough to
subtly but dramatically change results.
c. Classroom Discussions
Educators can also play a prominent part in actually getting students to vote. Arranging
for an impartial caucus of issues and candidates, especially around elections, would provide
students with an intimate experience with the civic process. As a result, this would force students
to think about politics in a way that importantly affects them, encouraging them to vote.
Civically engaging students as early as elementary school would also help in plant the idea of
voting in the minds of young citizens: Elementary school teachers should have impartial
discussions about the voting process and how elections work. Teachers amplifying these
discussion in high school will allow students to develop their own ideas about voting and acquire
a sense of accountability to the voting process.
d. Mock Elections
Having students participate in mock elections in another engaging way to get students
involved and make voting a habit. The California Secretary of State offers MyVote Student
Mock Elections for high school and middle school students across California. Participating in an
election can give students a first-hand experience on the power of their vote – especially if they
are not old enough to vote (Inspiring a New Generation of Voters). Pulling on prospective

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voters’ interest in competition, mock elections can stir early interest in politics and uncover a
Mock elections also provide teachers with a unique hands-on activity to inform their students
with.
V. Conclusion
Truly, there is more we can do to get students involved in the voting process. While
educators are already doing a good job getting students civically engaged, more can be done to
spread and use these methods. In essence, the student vote is not only imperative to getting
voices represented, but is also imperative to the democracy our nation is built upon. While we
don’t have all the answers to get young voters engaged, we have evidence to suggest that there is
hope in seeing change, and have palpable solutions to see young voter engagement increase.
Let’s break down potential barriers so it’s easy and enjoyable for students to vote. Our future
depends on it.

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Works Cited
"Inspiring a New Generation of Voters." California Secretary of State Alex Padilla. California
Secretary of State, Web. 30 May 2015.
Romero, Mindy. "California’s New Political Realities: The Impact of the Youth Vote on Our
Electoral Landscape." 2014 General Election 60% Highlights: California’s New Political
Realities: The Impact of the Youth Vote on Our Electoral Landscape (2015): 1-10. UC
Davis Center for Regional Cange. UC Davis Center for Regional Change, Jan. 2015.
Web. 23 May 2015.