In U.S. politics, "youth vote" describes the percentage of eligible voters between the ages 18 and 24 who participate in an election. Historically, the youth vote has lagged behind overall voter turnout, often to a significant degree. Turnout among young voters has remained relatively stagnant over the last five decades.
In the 1964 presidential election, which saw Democratic incumbent Lyndon B. Johnson defeat Republican Barry Goldwater in a landslide victory, the youth vote turnout registered 50.9 percent. By comparison, 66.3 percent of voters aged 25 to 44 voted in the same election, while more than three in four individuals between ages 45 and 64 voted. Despite this discrepancy, the 1964 election remains the largest youth voter turnout in the past 60 years.
The 1996 and 2000 elections, won by Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, respectively, marked all-time lows for youth voter turnout, with both contests drawing just 30 percent of young voters. Recent elections suggested that turnout among young voters was increasing, with a peak of 44.3 percent in 2008. However, this can be attributed to an above average turnout in elections featuring President Barack Obama, as young voters turned out at a rate of just 39 percent in 2016.
A number of theories have been proposed to explain low turnout among young voters. Explanations range from a lack of faith in the importance of civic participation to presidential candidates failing to address topics that impact young voters.
