MBUSD Student voters must raise low registration rates

Katherine Mueller

Executive Opinion Editor

Voting is a fundamental right for all americans. Yet, MBUSD has shown to have one of the
lowest voter registration rates in all of Los Angeles. Costa students eligible to vote must put a
greater effort in recognizing their political influence and utilizing their access to civic knowledge in order to shape their own futures as well as that of others.

According to Patch, only 37.4 percent of students eligible in voting in the MBUSD school district are registered to vote, and that only 8 out of the 53 school districts in Los Angeles County have student registration rates over 50 percent. Overall, Los Angeles County’s student registration rates are even lower than the national average rates for young voter registration for 2021. This is a stark indicator that students are not taking advantage of their resources and influence in order to make decisions which will profoundly impact their lives in the future.

Young voters make up a massive voting population, therefore generating a massive amount of political influence on the country. According to Vox, votes from young Democrats in Georgia during the 2020 presidential election made up more than a fifth of the total votes in the state, causing the state to swing blue. Additionally, across the nation, 62 percent of young voters voted for Joe Biden. With already low registration rates, young people have proved to have significant control over elections, and will continue to increase exponentially each year if more and more register to cast their ballots.

What many young voters tend to not realize is how voting frames their future directly. With many student voters in MBUSD living in a bit of a “bubble,” it can be hard to conceptualize the impact of decisions made by politicians across the country, or even just miles away in Los Angeles. However, once eligible 18 year olds break out into the rest of the world, they will quickly realize the impact of policies for things such as taxes and climate regulation which shape their finances and quality of life head-on. By voting, young people can bend policies towards their needs, and use their constitutional right to the fullest.

Due to the rise of more accessible information, young people have the capacity to become
greatly politically educated. Though some may perceive younger generations as being out of
touch with America’s civic history, Gen Z is statistically more educated than the preceding
Millennial generation on the topics, according to Real Clear. Tech-savvy Gen Z voters have the capability to discover more on any worldly topic in which they take interest, proving that
compared to other generations, many are within the loop of current events.

Due to the constant influx of information teens receive from not always-reputable sources, such as social media, they have the potential to be fed false information. As seen in past elections, false information has proven to be a source of great controversy that has led to misinformed and sometimes harmful decisions. However, technology is not a detriment to procuring informed beliefs if young voters know where to look for information, such as in reputable online newspaper outlets and credible sources.

With the right tools, educated young voters have the chance to make an even greater impact on their county, country, and world by getting registered to vote as soon as they can. By doing this, they will set a precedent for the future’s eligible young voters for years to come.