Young voters make up more of the state’s active voters than they did at the same time in the last midterm election, a gain that progressive groups hope translates to ballots cast.
Heading into Election Day in November, voter registrations are ticking upward across the board, particularly among young people. Voters are also increasingly stepping away from party labels and registering as nonpartisan, according to the Nevada secretary of state.
“Young people are not only the fastest-growing voting bloc in America, but we are also the most progressive and most diverse,” said NextGen Nevada organizer Sierra Bumanglag at a recent rally opposing a campaign visit from President Donald Trump. “President Obama told us that change is brought about because people, ordinary people, do extraordinary things, and I believe that on Nov. 6, young people will be the force that brings about this change.”
September’s record 1,519,038 active registered voters topped the state’s previous peak of 1,507,882 in February 2017. Democrats increased their advantage over Republicans for the sixth month in a row, to nearly 70,000 in September. The party’s edge had fallen from nearly 74,000 to just over 59,000 from February to March.
Nonpartisans are the third-largest group of active registered voters behind Democrats and Republicans. They represented just over 21.6 percent of the total population of active registered voters last month, up from just over 19.1 percent in the same month in 2014. More young people between 18 and 35 years old are registering as either Democrats or nonpartisans than Republican.
NextGen, a left-leaning group, is working to register young voters of all political ideologies for the midterm election. The organization reported on Oct. 9 that it has registered 10,810 voters ages 18 to 35. The group’s state youth director, Tyson Megown, said students at rural and urban colleges alike are enthusiastic about getting registered and volunteering.
“In 2014 and especially in 2016, young people absolutely saw what happens when you show up to vote, and certainly what happens when you don’t,” Megown said.
Voters ages 18 to 24 represented more than 10 percent of the state’s active registered voters in September, the most recent secretary of state data available. At the same time during the last midterm in 2014, they represented less than 9.4 percent. Many are Democrats, with nonpartisans about 10,000 active registered voters below them and more than 16,000 above Republicans.
Voters ages 25 to 34, another target area for voter registration groups, represent more than 16.5 percent of the state’s active registered voters. In September 2014, they accounted for more than 14.6 percent. Many are Democrats, at over 96,000 active registered voters. The nearly 75,000 nonpartisans in that age group outnumber the more than 60,000 Republicans.
The proportion of active voters ages 65 and older has stayed roughly the same since the last midterm. They are by far the biggest bloc at more than 371,000, skewing Republican by roughly 12,000 votes. They represented more than 24.4 percent of active registered voters in September compared to just under 24.6 percent at the same point in 2014.
Harnessing the power of young voters requires turnout, an area where young people have historically fallen short. More than 55 percent of people ages 65 and older voted in the 2014 midterm, according to Census data. Almost 39 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds voted, with the lowest turnout among 25- to 34-year-olds at 15.9 percent.
“When Obama was president, we didn’t really realize that so much would be impacted with the upcoming election and now it has been, so we see direct issues actually impacting us now, and it’s turned us into activists,” Bumanglag said. “We have the voting power, we can actually make the changes that we need, if we all just show up to vote.”
NextGen and Our Lives Our Vote collaborated for National Voter Registration Day in September to register students on a selection of high school and college campuses. Alex Farrington of Our Lives Our Vote, a group that wants to register at least 50,000 high school students across 10 states, said campus officials are actually reaching out to voter registration groups to get them to come on campus.
Farrington said there has been a swell of support and energy around voter registration since a Florida school shooting killed 17. That shooting galvanized young people around the country to lead March for Our Lives events calling for new gun laws.
“The students themselves are even more engaged and even more excited, coming up to us and talking about their vote,” Farrington said.
Farrington said the group estimates about 5 percent of any given senior class is likely to be at least 18 years old on Election Day. In Nevada, these 17-year-olds can pre-register to vote in the first election they’re eligible.
“Teachers, principals and students are actually reaching out to us to come to their schools and register them to vote, which is not normal, to put it bluntly,” Farrington said. “It really is a lot of work to get into these high schools and make the connection in the first place … we’re realizing that instead of having to put in the elbow grease to actually get through the door, which is often the hardest part, the schools are holding the door wide open and begging us to come in.”
People can register in person at the Clark County Elections Department before its offices close at 5 p.m. Oct. 16, or online through Oct. 18.
Early voting starts Oct. 20 and ends Nov. 2. Election Day is Nov. 6.