In close election, 18-year-olds in Pennsylvania could make the difference but most don't register to vote
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A Los Angeles-based civics group says that although tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians turn 18 each year, the vast majority do not register to vote.
As KDKA-TV political editor Jon Delano reports, it's not unique here but could make a big difference in this must-win state for the presidency.
Consider the following: Donald Trump won Pennsylvania in 2016 by 44,000 votes. Four years later Joe Biden won by 81,000 votes. Guess who could have made the difference both times?
"In the Commonwealth as a whole, it's about 160,000 people are turning 18 every year, and it's about 70,000 in the major metropolitan areas," says Laura Brill, CEO of the Civics Center in Los Angeles.
Brill says over 70 percent of this state's 18-year-olds have not yet registered to vote, and it often depends on how seriously local school districts take civics education and non-partisan registration drives at their high schools.
"We looked in detail, for example, at Allegheny County and a couple of districts are in the high 40 percent but some are below 10. So, it really depends on whether schools are involved, the parents and students themselves," says Brill
In Allegheny County, South Fayette with 47.5 percent of 18-year-olds registered to vote is the top district, followed by Pittsburgh Public Schools at 43.5 percent.
The Top 10 includes West Jefferson, Northgate, Keystone Oaks, Chartiers Valley, Deer Lakes, Moon Area, North Allegheny and Quaker Valley.
"Many young people are very passionate about social issues and political issues but aren't sure how to actually make change, and voting is the first step in political participation," says Paige Westbrook, an 18-year-old senior at South Fayette.
Westbrook is one of the organizers of a spring and fall voter registration drive at her high school. Her student committee makes a presentation to all seniors in class, handing out and collecting voter registration forms.
One key, she says, "It is a student-run program."
"People can listen to their teachers telling them to vote all day, whether it be their government teachers or their econ teachers or their parents," Westbrook said. "But when it's coming from a peer who you are handing the form back to, it's a bit more of a process that you know is important because it's something that your peers care about."
Michael Sipper, a 19-year-old University of Pittsburgh freshman who registered in high school, says today's online registration makes social media key, too.
"Social media and also text banks are an incredibly powerful tool in order for the younger generation to come out to vote because a lot of the younger generation are predominantly on their phones," says Sipper.
The Civics Center will be in Pittsburgh on March 15 hosting a workshop for local high school teachers and students on how to increase their voter registration.
Those interested in participating or learning more should contact Beth Sondel at bls@thecivicscenter.org.