Historically, 50-and-over voters have been the most likely to show up on election day in the United States. But when younger voters do show up in big numbers, they can play an important role in an election's outcome.
In an article published by the conservative website The Bulwark Monday, Campaign Legal Center President Trevor Potter lamented that Republicans have been going out of their way to make voting more difficult for younger voters — a move he slammed as "cynical and shortsighted" and bad for democracy.
"Legislation enacted this year in Idaho and Ohio dropped student photo IDs — including even those issued by state institutions — from the list of acceptable voter identification," wrote Potter, a former Federal Election Commission chairman.
"In Texas, a Republican lawmaker even tried to remove all polling places from college campuses. These efforts to stifle the voices of young voters aren't isolated, and no amount of lip service from the former president (Donald Trump) can change that. They are a part of the modern anti-democracy playbook promoted by a coordinated and well-documented project."
Potter stressed that the U.S. needs to make it easier for Generation Z to vote — not more difficult.
"Embracing young voters is also the morally right thing to do," the former FEC chairman argued. "Young people go to school or work, pay taxes, need healthcare, and drive a car or use public transport. They deserve a say in how their communities are governed…. If our democratic republic is to survive this current authoritarian challenge — and not just survive, but thrive afterward — young voters need to know they belong in our democracy, too."
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Read Trevor Potter's full article for The Bulwark at this link.