Hey New Yorkers… YEAH YOU! Why aren’t you voting?!
Election Day is coming up and only 61.4% of the voting age population in the United States voted in the 2016 presidential election. An incredibly low 36.4% in the 2014 midterm.
So how politically engaged are New Yorkers? Shamefully, we below average. New York ranks 44th among the 50 states in political engagement. Only 38% of those 18 -24 years old voted! Yet, 64% of New Yorkers over the age of 65 voted.
Wallet Hub Stats: Political Engagement in New York
(1=Most; 25=Avg)
- 48th – Registered Voters in 2016 Presidential Election
- 49th – Electorate Who Voted in 2014 Midterm Elections
- 44th – Electorate Who Voted in 2016 Presidential Election
- 31st – Change in % of Electorate Who Actually Voted in 2016 Elections vs. 2012 Elections
- 18th – Civic Education Engagement
- 38th – Voter Accessibility Policies
So why don’t New Yorkers vote? Could it be because many just assume New York will vote blue so they do not see the need to get involved? Or, does New York simply not see itself as joined with the rest of America? Therefore not feeling a necessity to vote. Are we lazy? Uninformed? Uneducated? Do we lack hope for a better system?
There isn’t one answer, but there is a solution. We emplore you to become engaged and VOTE ON NOVEMBER 6TH.
