Democracy Resources for Young Citizens

By Kim Bayne

Did you know that every year over four million young individuals reach the age of 18 and most of them are eligible to register to vote before they finish high school? In Arizona, fewer than 15 percent of our state’s high school seniors or graduates are actually registered. Most of those who do vote really care about the important issues that will impact their future. More young people would probably sign up if they knew how and had an easy way to do it.

LD18 supports young voters because we know they can make a real difference in our elections. Find out where to register to vote and help a friend register, too. If you want to better understand the political process, get to know the candidates, and delve into the issues, this is for you. Explore this fresh resource designed for high school and college students.

Who can vote? You can cast a ballot in an election if you are (1) a U.S. citizen, (2) are at least 18 years old on Election Day, (3) meet certain state residency requirements, and (4) are registered to vote by the election deadline set by your state.

LEGEND: Arizona focused = 🌵, National in scope = 🇺🇸

Voter Registration

Future Age Calculator: If you will be at least 18 years old by the next general election—November 5, 2024—you are eligible to register to vote for the next U.S. president. Select your birthday and a future date, then press the button to calculate your future age.
🌵Pima County Recorder’s Office: Register to vote online if you reside in Pima County and have a valid Arizona driver’s license or ID card.
🌵ServiceArizona Voter Registration: Here’s where you can register to vote online if you reside anywhere in Arizona and have a valid Arizona driver’s license or ID card.
🇺🇸National Voter Registration Day: A nonpartisan civic holiday celebrating our democracy. This year, it’s September 19, 2023.
🇺🇸Rock the Vote: Focused on engaging young voters and making the voter registration process easy.
🇺🇸Vote.org: Offers voter registration tools for all U.S. states, absentee ballot info, and voting deadlines
🇺🇸USA.gov Voter Registration: Official U.S. government resource for voter registration information.

Education & Activism

🌵Arizona List: Political Action Committee dedicated to electing more pro-choice, Democratic women in Arizona.
🌵Arizona Youth Climate Coalition (AZYCC): Youth-led organization fighting for climate justice across Arizona–the Grand Canyon State.
🌵Civic Engagement Beyond Voting: CEBV is a grassroots nonpartisan organization working to empower Arizona residents to exercise their voices at state and local levels. CEBV is nonpartisan, but not neutral. It supports progressive values and seeks democratic change.
🌵Kids Voting Arizona: Nonpartisan grassroots-driven voter education program for youth from K-12^th grade. Administered by the Arizona Bar Foundation, Kids Voting Arizona is committed to creating lifelong voting habits.
🇺🇸C-SPAN Classroom: Educational materials and resources centered around government and politics.
🇺🇸iCivics: Offers free educational games and resources to help young people learn about civics and democracy.
🇺🇸Power the Polls: Nonpartisan initiative to recruit the next generation of poll workers to ensure safe and fair elections for all voters.

Campaigns & Issues

🌵Citizens Clean Elections Commission: CCEC’s Voter Election Guide includes nonpartisan and unbiased information about your Arizona legislative and statewide candidates.
🇺🇸Ballotpedia: Provides comprehensive info on elections, candidates, and issues at various levels of government.
🇺🇸GovTrack: Allows users to track bills, lawmakers, and votes in Congress.
🇺🇸OpenSecrets: Provides data on campaign contributions, lobbying, and money in politics.
🇺🇸Politifact: Fact-checks political statements and provides accuracy ratings for claims made by politicians
🇺🇸ProCon.org: Presents balanced pros and cons on controversial issues to help users make informed decisions
🇺🇸Vote411 by the League of Women Voters: Offers information on local and national candidates, their positions, and ballot measures for upcoming elections.

High School & College

🌵Arizona High School Democrats (AZHSD): AZHSD is the Arizona state chapter of High School Democrats of America (HSDA), a national political organization that serves as an entry point to Democratic politics for youth activists.
🌵Arizona Students’ Association (ASA): ASA builds Arizona student power through voter registration, education and Get Out The Vote (GOTV).
🌵Keep Arizona Blue Student Coalition (KABSC): If you are an Arizona Democrat in high school or college and want to be updated on youth political events heading into the 2024 election, sign up!
🇺🇸Campus Vote Project: Focuses on helping colleges and universities establish nonpartisan programs to engage student voters.
🇺🇸The Civics Center: Champions youth-led voter registration efforts in order to promote leadership development and a lifelong habit of civic engagement. From Oct 2-6, 2023, it will hold workshops to train students, parents and educators nationwide in how to run nonpartisan voter registration drives at their high schools.
🇺🇸My School Votes (MSV): Builds student-led voter registration clubs in high schools across the country. Provides training and resources to ensure every eligible student in your school is registered. A program of When We All Vote.