Efforts underway at California universities to encourage the youth vote

Voter turnout, in general, is challenging, but it is especially so among youth. There is a push to address that and encourage young voters to go to the polls for the November Election. According to a September 2022 voter registration report from the California Secretary of State’s office, less than 13% of all registered voters right now are between the ages of 17 and a half and 25. That is the lowest out of any age group statewide and the lowest in several northern California counties, including Sacramento San Joaquin, Nevada, Placer and El Dorado counties. The 17-and-a-half data point reflects the 17-year-olds who will be 18 in the upcoming election. The California Public Interest Research Group, or CALPIRG, is a statewide nonprofit advocacy organization that places a particular emphasis on increasing young voter turnout. CALPIRG has student chapters at all University of California campuses, and one of their key focuses is on their New Voters Project.