By now, I’m sure you’ve heard about the “Brexit” (and if somehow you haven’t, it’s just a google search away). Experts the world over are going to be sorting through the consequences for months and years to come, but there already are timely lessons that should be heeded by young climate voters ahead of this year’s coming election. Many pointed to the referendum as one of the most important votes in Britain’s history for its potential to shape the future of not only the country, but the entire European Bloc and even the world. Similarly, American media are hyping the coming Presidential election as a possible flash point in American history. With such incredible consequence being given to these elections, one might expect record voter turnout.
Somehow, that’s not the case—at least partially. It’s that partial part that’s so frustrating, frightening… and thankfully inspiring.
The British referendum did see remarkably high voter turnout. 72% of eligible voters, in fact, made it to the polls. Dig deeper, though, and the statistics become a bit more troubling. The people who are most affected—that is, the people who will likely be around longest to see the effects of the Brexit—were those least enthused to vote: according to Sky Data, only 36% of voters aged 18 to 24 and 58% of voters aged 25 to 34 voted in this referendum, while 81% of those aged 55 to 64 and 83% of those aged 65+ made it to the polls.
These stark differences in voting rates between age groups are exacerbated by the variances in how each group voted. Nearly three quarters of 18 to 24 year olds and over 60% of 25 to 34 year olds voted to remain in the E.U. last week. In contrast, 57% of 55 to 64 year olds and 60% of senior citizens voted to leave. Seeing that the younger age brackets much more strongly leaned one way than the oldest did, it’s apparent that the youth vote mattered a great deal in this election, so much so that the U.K. might not have voted the way it did had more young people made it to the polls.
The impact of low youth voter turnout is not just limited to Brexit. The numbers are even lower in the United States: during the midterm elections of 2010, a mere 21% turnout was reported for those aged 18 to 24. In 2014, youth voter turnout hit an all-time low, with just 19% of 18 to 29 year olds voting in nationwide congressional elections. And despite the fact that younger generations will have the longest to deal with the aftermath of the elections that were mostly decided by old people, young people have voted consistently at a rate 15 to 20% lower than their seniors since the 1970s.
However, this generation of young people has the capacity to change this tendency. American millennials are both the largest and most educated generation in U.S. history. Additionally, according to the latest Millennial Action Report, members of Generation Y are more likely to donate to charities on their own volition rather than at the behest of the company they work for (a commonplace workplace standard of older generations). The report also has found that, more so than Generation X and the Baby Boomers, millennials are optimistic and believe that the country’s best days are still ahead.
All of this sounds like a perfect recipe for creating a politically impactful generation, and it just takes more voter participation to make this a reality. Many millennials opt not to vote in many elections because they believe that politics today doesn’t appreciate or care about their concerns and interests, yet what is key for millennials to understand is that the reason that politics doesn’t serve them is because they don’t vote, as revealed by the neck-and-neck results of Brexit.
In order to create the political climate that they desire, young people must change their behavior and vote in every election opportunity. Voting is the ultimate way to defend our future.
Larkin Wynn is a Defend Our Future intern.
