The 26th amendment is what gives 18 year olds the right to vote, and according to civicyouth.org 21.5% of the Americans who are between the age of 18 and 29 did. This age group is known as the youth, and they do not have as many voting as the age groups above them.

Projectvote.org said that if the youth had voted at the same rate as the older generation in 2008, then 7 million more people would have cast in a vote. That would have definitely made a difference in the election.

“You may feel like your vote doesn’t count, because there’s so many people that vote, but you never know what your vote can do,” Leanne Hyer, government teacher said.

Voting can be called a ‘civic duty’, because as a republic, we the people cause change. Americans are supposed to be in charge of making changes, and voting is one way that that can happen. If youth are not taught that voting is important and do not see examples of why and how, it is less likely that they will see its importance, and vote.

“Eighteen year olds are ready to vote, because as citizens of the United States, hopefully they care about what is going on in the world around them. And the way that we can make changes is by electing officials who have similar views to us,” Hyer said.

The rate of youth voting is slowly rising, mostly because of better education on the subject. Youth are learning the importance and effect that voting has on the nation, and they are slowly deciding to act upon it.