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66% Of Youth With Any College Experience Turned Out To Vote, 35% Of Youth With No College Experience

Does Going To College Make You More Likely To Vote?
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In this Tuesday, July 31, 2012, photo, Aubrey Marks, left, helps a University of Central Florida student to register to vote in Orlando, Fla. While most college campuses are relatively quiet, students at the University of Central Florida have taken it upon themselves to register their peers during the summer. Gone are the days when young voters werent taken seriously. In 2008, they helped propel Barack Obama into the Oval Office, supporting him by a 2-1 margin. But that higher profile also has landed them in the middle of the debate over some state laws that regulate voter registration and how people identify themselves at the polls. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
In this Tuesday, July 31, 2012, photo, Aubrey Marks, left, helps a University of Central Florida student to register to vote in Orlando, Fla. While most college campuses are relatively quiet, students at the University of Central Florida have taken it upon themselves to register their peers during the summer. Gone are the days when young voters werent taken seriously. In 2008, they helped propel Barack Obama into the Oval Office, supporting him by a 2-1 margin. But that higher profile also has landed them in the middle of the debate over some state laws that regulate voter registration and how people identify themselves at the polls. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Previous research has shown a strong correlation between college experience and political engagement. About 40 percent of young eligible voters between the age of 18 to 29 have not attended college. Our recent report, That’s Not Democracy: How Out-of-School Youth Engage in Civic Life and What Stands In Their Way, shows they are interested in participation but face a systematic lack of civic opportunities. Not being asked to participate can have detrimental effects on motivation and efficacy. Since early civic engagement can lead to engagement later in life, whether we close this gap will have a significant effect on the future of democracy.

Read more on civicyouth.org

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