Should student IDs be recognized as a valid for voter registration and should federal grants to states be provided to encourage youth turnout?
H.R. 5293 seeks to expand the accessibility of voting for young people and remove various factors depressing youth turnout. If passed, the Youth Voting Rights Act would create a private right of action to enforce the twenty-sixth Amendment, meaning that local, state, and federal governments would have an affirmative obligation to protect the right to vote for eighteen to twenty-one-year-olds and individuals would have the ability to sue for violations to said right. Key provisions of the bill include additional options for voter registration at college campuses and prior to turning eighteen, requirements that student IDs be recognized as a valid form of identification, and the creation of federal grants to states and private organizations to encourage higher turnout among youths. Sponsor: Rep. Nikema Williams (Democrat, Georgia, District 5)
View full bill text ➔
How do you feel?
Oppose
Support
Opponents say
• "We’re not a direct democracy. We are a *constitutional republic.* We need to revive civic duty among young Americans. That’s why I’m announcing my support for a constitutional amendment to raise the voting age from 18 to 25, but to still allow 18-year-olds to vote if they either pass the same civics test required of immigrants to become naturalized citizens, or else to perform 6 months of military or first responder service. We must be ambitious. I understand not everyone will like this proposal and that it will take persuasion to convince many of its merits, but I’m ready to take that on." Source: Vivek Ramaswamy, 2024 Republican Presidential Candidate
• "As a mom with one child on a college campus and one on a public school campus, I think about the safety of my sons and their classmates regularly. I have been working on a package of campus safety legislation that I believe will help protect open college, public school, and charter school campuses. House Bill 2390 will ban polling locations on college campuses. Additionally, I am drafting legislation that will remove polling places from K-12 public and charter schools… We must do everything we can to make our school campuses as safe as possible; they should not serve as a target-rich environment for those that wish to harm children. I have experienced firsthand the heightened emotions that often occur at polling locations and I will not wait for more violence to act." Source: Texas State Rep. Carrie Isaac (Republican, Texas, HD-73)
Proponents say
• "For our democracy to thrive, young voters need to be full participants in elections and have the ability to exercise their Constitutional right to vote. And yet, young voters, particularly youth of color, face unique and growing challenges to voting. While Oregon has taken many of these steps to empower young voters, the Youth Voting Rights Act contains crucial provisions that will close the gap in voting rates between younger and older Americans nationwide, and ensure the promises of our Constitution are universally fulfilled." Source: Sen. Ron Wyden (Democrat, Oregon)
• "Public officials around the country are making decisions that will affect young people for generations to come, and they deserve to have a say in how these decisions are made. As we continue fighting to protect voting rights, the Youth Voting Rights Act will make it easier for young people to vote in elections and expand youth participation in our democracy, especially for historically disenfranchised groups like young people of color and young people with disabilities." Source: Sen. Mazie Hirono (Democrat, Hawaii)
• "Our democracy is strongest when every voice is heard, including those of our young voters. The League strongly supports this legislation to make voting more accessible for young voters by breaking down obstacles they continue to face when registering to vote or casting a ballot. We must equip young voters with the necessary resources to fully participate in the democratic process if we want to create strong and engaged citizens." Source: League of Women Voters
- How younger voters will impact elections: Younger voters are poised to upend American politics (Brookings)
- Why Don’t Young People Vote, and What Can Be Done About It? (New York Times)
- Texas bills would ban schools from serving as polling sites (Axios)
- Republican-controlled states target college students’ voting power ahead of high-stakes 2024 elections (CNN)
- Rep. Nikema Williams' Open Secrets Page
