The Importance Of Getting Out The Youth Vote

On June 23, the citizens of the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. However, this was by no means a clear win — the margin of victory was only 52 percent to 48 percent. What the so-called “Brexit” shows us, though, is the growing importance of getting out the youth vote.

Looking at the exit polls and demographics of who voted what, it is easy to see there was an obvious favor in every different group. For example, people with a low education tended to vote to Leave. One demographic that particularly stands out, though, is age. Looking at how different age groups voted, there’s a general trend that the older the voter, the more likely to vote Leave. An overwhelming 75 percent of UK citizens aged 18-24 voted to Remain, while only 39 percent of people older than 65 voted to Remain. That’s a huge difference.

What is unfortunate about the result is that the younger generation, i.e. those who voted to Remain, is going to be affected the most by leaving the EU. Leaving the union also means losing the right to live and work in 27 other countries, not having a great selection of jobs (as many are now moving outside of the UK after the referendum result), and losing many other advantages that come with being a part of this continent-wide coalition. While those aged 65+ may not have to live with the consequences for long, those younger than 30 will be forced to do so.

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One might be asking at this point though: how did the Leave campaign win, if young people voted to Remain more than old people voted to Leave?

The difference here is voter turnout. Only 34 percent (!) of citizens aged 18-24 voted in the referendum. On the other hand, a whopping 83 percent (!!) of people aged 65+ voted. In the end, that is what made the difference. The election result could have been very different if young Britons had voted in the same numbers as their older counterparts.

Unfortunately, though, what is done is done. What we must take from this is the importance of getting young people to vote. 66 percent of Britons aged 18-24 are going to have to live through the consequences of a referendum they didn’t even vote in. Hopefully, there will be a much larger youth turnout in the 2020 general election, as people realize that politics does in fact matter, and that it is everyone’s responsibility, regardless of age, to get informed on the issues and vote. The Leave campaign’s lies were so prominent they were written on the side of campaign buses — but it didn’t matter. They won anyway.

As a generation that has access to the Internet, young people should take advantage of this great invention. The Internet allows one to do research and expose the lies of politicians, all while making it so simple to become informed on the issues.

Because of the Internet, it’s so much harder for politicians to get away with lying, since all it takes is a quick Google search to catch them. Centuries ago, in the United States, politicians got away with promoting different policy positions in different states to pander to certain groups of voters. Nowadays, they shouldn’t be able to get away with that type of blatant deception. So why did we let them?

If you’re reading this and under the age of 30, I beg you to open a new tab on your smartphone or computer and look up who represents you. Research their stances on issues that matter to you. It’ll only take a few minutes — so become informed.

Participate in the democracy that you are so, so lucky to be able to take part in.

Don’t say you weren’t able to have your voice heard.