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12/22/2021 03:56 PMAfter the there was a noticeable increase in Clinton’s youth voter turnout in 2020, the Harbor News asked “Spike or Trend?” in a Nov 25, 2020 story. With the numbers in for 2021, the answer is here.
The article “Spike or Trend? Younger Voters Step Up in Clinton” looked into whether or not Clinton’s youth were motivated to vote in the 2020 election. With data provided by the Registrar of Voters, the article found that nearly 300 more people aged 18 to 30 voted in the 2020 election compared to the 2016 election. In fact, an astounding 67 percent of registered voters in that age range turned out to vote.
The Harbor News recently took a look at the numbers for 2021 to see if the emerging youth vote was a onetime phenomenon or a new reality in Clinton. Numbers provided by the Registrar of Voters on Dec. 6 show that youth enthusiasm for local politics does not match the level of the presidential elections.
According to the data, there are 1,598 people aged 18 to 30 registered to vote in Clinton, but only 157 people in that age range—a little under 10 percent—turned out to vote in 2021. That age range accounted for about five percent of the total vote in the 2021 election. By comparison, in the 2019 municipal elections, 219 members in the 18 to 30 age range turned out to vote, accounting for about six percent of the total vote.
It is tough to pin the lack of youth turnout on one particular issue and it is important to note that turnout in general was down in the election. In 2021, 2,849 total people turned out to vote, down from the 3,622 who voted in 2019.
June Hansen, the Democratic registrar of voters for Clinton, pointed to the change in government structure Clinton underwent in 2019 as a motivating factor that wasn’t present in 2021.
“In 2019, we were adopting a new form of government in Clinton. There was a lot of social media about it. People wanted their input heard. It was important to get off on the right foot regarding the new town council and people wanted those elected to be the right choice,” Hansen said.
Hansen added that the interest wasn’t as prevalent in 2021 unless voters were motivated by seeing what party controlled the Town Council.
For young people specifically, the lack of interest in the local elections can be linked to the fact that the age group on the whole is less established in their careers and living situations when compared to older people who are more likely to have longer roots in the community. For example, a 20-year-old with no kids may not be too concerned with who is on the Board of Education in town.
During the run-up to the 2020 election, there was a concerted effort by voters and political leaders alike to encourage younger voters to participate in the 2020 election. In 2020, a worldwide pandemic, exploding racial tensions, and an exceptionally divisive political rhetoric exacerbated those calls.
Though there is less fanfare than national elections, municipal elections are still important to the day-to-day lives of citizens. In fact, it’s often argued that the leaders at the local level will have more of an impact on the daily lives of residents than the president will.
For example in Clinton, some of the positions that were determined by the 2021 election included which party will have a majority on the Town Council and is able set town policies, who was able to serve on the police commission that provides oversight to the police department, who will now serve on the Board of Education and determine the curriculum for students, and who is on the Planning & Zoning Commission, which gets a say in deciding what kinds of developments can or can’t come into town. Despite the lack of turnout, young people are the group that will face the longest-term consequences of those decisions.
Clinton has been trying to attract young people and young families to Clinton in a variety of ways for several years. New budding developments proposed in town such as the Indian River Landing project and the proposed developments at the former Unilever property have been lauded in part for the chance that they will bring more young people as well as their money to Clinton.
One way that young people can wield their power to help make Clinton a more desirable place for their age range is by voting for politicians who have policies that align with their values on social, fiscal, and development issues. However, the numbers suggest that at least on a local level, the youth of the town are not motivated to do so.