Why policy reforms can't replace voter registration drives Thousands are hosting voter registration drives today to celebrate National Voter Registration Day. These actions matter even as "automatic" voter registration and other policy reforms expand.

Thousands are hosting voter registration drives today to celebrate #NationalVoterRegistrationDay. These actions matter even as "automatic" voter registration and other policy reforms expand.

cdce.substack.com/p/why-policy...

Very concerned about the numbers for Baltimore City here!

We should be helping *all* our eligible new voters get registered and ready to vote regardless of whether they get a drivers license.

Maryland has relatively strong youth voter registration rates, but that’s not the full story.

Major disparities exist between counties.

A major factor is whether young people have a driver’s license.

Driver’s license attainment is correlated with voter registration and pre-registration rates for 16-, 17-, and 18-year-olds.

County-by-county data shows that license attainment among 16- and 17-year-olds strongly correlates with voter pre-registration rates.

And that same pattern continues at age 18.

Counties with more 18-year-old drivers have higher registration rates.

Right now, 1 in 3 Maryland 18-year-olds is not registered to vote.

Expanding automatic registration and voter education can help close this gap.

Colorado shows what’s possible.

Small changes to DMV pre-registration can boost rates dramatically. Notifying youth that they aren’t registered boosts rates by 18%, and implementing a default voter registration system boosts them by 29%.

Montgomery County offers an additional model:

Voter education and school-based outreach through a student election judge program boosted youth registration rates above what license data would predict.

To close the 18-year-old registration gap in Maryland:

✅ Strengthen automatic registration at the MVA

✅ Expand AVR beyond the MVA to other agencies

✅ Boost school-based outreach like student election judge programs

Learn more at cdce.substack.com/p/maryland-c....

The upshot?

Voters are most supportive of #Vote16 for school board elections– especially among certain constituencies.

This support is sufficient to pass and implement Vote 16 policies in many cities and towns.

Read more at vote16.substack.com/p/674-of-new....

Certain groups are more likely to support #Vote16, but barriers in perception remain.

67.4% of NJ Democrats support lowering the voting age to 16 for school board elections.

A new poll shows growing momentum for #Vote16— but not across the board.

🧵

Why does democracy matter and fun fact graphic

Finally, Dr. Laird shared that she believes that civic engagement is vital for the stability of our democracy.

And she shared that as a fun fact— she enjoys crocheting!

Thank you, Dr. Laird, for your leadership, scholarship, and impact. ⭐

Questions she is passionate about and insight to share graphic

The big question driving Dr. Laird’s work is “At what age does someone start to believe in a racial linked fate?”

And her top insight is that “Black girls’ awareness of the political world is exceptional!”

Love working with @chryllaird.bsky.social !!!

The arson is coming from inside the Democratic Party.
Really hope @kenmartin.bsky.social understands how damaging this all is.

The UK has expanded the voting age to 16. What's next for Vote 16 efforts in the United States? Last week, the UK moved ahead to enfranchise 16-and 17-year-olds. In a new op-ed for USA Today, Vote16USA Executive Director LaJuan Allen lays out his vision for what's next for Vote 16 in the US.

The UK lowered the voting age to 16. What’s next for the vote 16 movement in the US?

open.substack.com/pub/vote16/p...

Two density plots comparing age distributions. Top graph shows Republican senators (peak around age 70) vs. registered Republican voters (more evenly distributed, median age 57). Bottom graph shows Democratic senators (peak around age 70) vs. registered Democratic voters (more evenly distributed, median age 50). Vertical lines mark where half of each population falls. Democratic senators have a much larger age gap from their voters than Republicans do.

The Democratic Party’s age problem isn’t just bad, it’s much worse than Republicans’. Half of registered Democratic voters are under 50, yet half their senators are over 67. Despite claiming to represent the future, party leadership systematically blocks younger voices from gaining power.

he has spent last 10 years bringing this focus on fakeable growth metrics to political philanthropy with similar results

I don’t personally support this law but our research shows that several provisions - especially the ability vote provisionally with an affidavit if you don’t have ID - make it far less suppressive than other strict ID laws.

When Election Officials Speak, Do Voters Listen? Trust-BuildingCommunications, Information Seeking, and Voter Confidence in the 2022 U.S. Midterm Elections Mara Suttmann-Lea, Thessalia Merivaki, and Rachel Orey Snapshot of cover page of article published in Political Communication

Our paper with @marasuttmann.bsky.social and Rachel Orey is finally out in Political Communication, special issue on democratic listening
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

I am so proud of @marasuttmann.bsky.social and @samnovey.bsky.social for putting together such a thoughtful review.
Election burnout is real but election officials don't have the luxury to step out. Voters are always put first. We should listen to their needs to make their work more manageable.

What looks like a win for voter access can quickly backfire if it's set up in a way that drives away the professionals we need to deliver excellent election administration to American communities.

And for advocacy groups and policy makers, are we making "bandwidth informed" decisions about policy and litigation that take into account all the responsibilities and demands on the time of elections professionals?

There are some really important and challenging insights in this report. For election officials and boards, how are we creating effective spaces to listen to staff?

Listen to elections professionals to decrease burnout Our literature review shows cultivating a sense of agency at work can support elections professionals, decrease burnout, improve retention and succession, and strengthen election administration.

Our team at the UMD Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement published an important new literature review today by Mara Suttmann-Lea. This literature review dives into the importance of high quality listening in addressing burnout among elections officials.

cdce.substack.com/p/listen-to-...

Let’s go!!

Your last Substack convinced me to come here!