Young Utah voters hitting the polls at a slower rate

SALT LAKE CITY — Younger voters are hitting the polls at a much slower rate than their older counterparts.

Of the mail-in ballots sent in, and early votes cast, only 2% are from voters between the ages of 18 and 29.

According to census data, it lines up with voting trends seen historically across the state. Younger voters made up 14% of the votes in 2020.

Political consultant and KSL At Night co-host Taylor Morgan says it’s part of a cycle we’ve seen for decades.

“During the 60s and 70s younger voters had huge impacts on our elections,” he said. “We changed the voting age to 18 because of the young vote power. Yet, since that time, the participation in elections has really dropped off.” 

More obstacles for young voters

Morgan said it’s not necessarily because younger people don’t want to vote. He said young people have more obstacles when it comes to voting.

They may have a different address, they may be living on campus at a college or university, or they may have moved out of their home. They may be serving a church mission or volunteering abroad in some capacity,” he said. 

Young people are also less likely to have an established career and routine, he said, and factoring in voting can be inconvenient.

Morgan said they may also feel like they’re not prioritized. At the same time, “until younger voters start participating at higher rates, candidates and parties aren’t going to prioritise these issues that younger voters care most about,” he said.

Juliet Carlisle, a professor of political science at the University of Utah, said another reason for this slow rate could be that younger voters aren’t in the habit of voting. 

“It’s hard. You have to really be disciplined and motivated, [because] there’s time and effort involved in voting. And some students just don’t have the time. … Or they feel like they aren’t political, like they don’t know … enough about politics,” she said. 

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