Stalking the wily young voter

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A new report on Washington's efforts to promote voting by 18 year olds concludes that outreach efforts help, but carry a price tag and aren't a silver bullet for engaging youth. The report is from the non-profit project called the Pew Center on the States' Election Initiatives. Researchers worked with the state Elections Division and the Social and Economic Sciences Research Center at Washington State University. Researchers tracked the state's 2008 pilot project to encourage young people to register as they turn 18. The state mailed test groups either a postage-paid registration form pre-filled with the youth's information, or a postcard with info on how to use Washington's EZ online voter registration system. The project showed that youth were more likely to register if they got the outreach material, particularly those with the pre-filled, postages-paid application. The mailings also prompted youth to register as they turned 18, rather than wait until closer to election day. The Pew report said many youth, including 43 percent of those who got the pre-filled, postage-paid applications, still chose not to register. They told surveyors they didn't have time to register or didn't know how. The state spent $1.12 to produce and mail each application form and $1.14 on each application that was returned. Overall, it cost about $6 per application received back to the state. Those costs could be reduced by not pre-printing the forms and not giving free postage, but the participation rate might drop, the report said. The report didn't recommend a future approach, other than to partner with the state Department of Licensing database to reach eligible youth with automated mailings. The organization has promoted a more universal registration program. The state Elections Division hasn't decided on its full outreach strategy, but remains committed to trying to sign up 18 year olds. Secretary of State Sam Reed said:

"This office is really aggressive about reaching out to young voters. This sector of the population historically has the lowest participation rate – and these are voices we need to hear."

State Elections Director Nick Handy said many young people were energized and excited by the 2008 elections, but didn't turn out in much heavier numbers than usual.

"The challenge of registering our younger voters and then persuading them to follow through with actually voting remains a big emphasis of this office. We will continue to reach out to these potential voters, work with our high schools and colleges, conduct civics tours, do mock elections, use social media, and investigate fresh new strategies. Contacting youth who are just turning 18 will be a part of a larger strategy."