An example of a voter registration form, with choices for party affiliation

Voter registration being inaccessible is the number one barrier to voting for marginalized groups, according to The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Courtesy of Getty Images

Youth and Community Development Agency has lowest rate of voter registration

The voter registration rate for 18-year-olds in New York City is lower than the national average, according to reporting from City & State.

November 15, 2024

Anushka Dakshit

According to data provided by the mayor’s office, the youth and community development agency has one of the lowest success rates in the amount of clients who send voter registration applications to the NYC Board of Elections. This data analysis includes the top 12 agencies that have data on number of clients served.

In the last four years, the youth and community development agency's efficiency in distributing applications was considerably low, with an average of 26 percent of applications distributed out of clients served compared to the corrections agency, which has an almost 87 percent on average.

It's usually difficult to get voters age 18 to 25 to vote because it is a demographic that has felt exluded from socio-political conversations, especially in the last two elections, said Ashley McPherson, director of programs at DoSomething, a non-profit dedicated to youth outreach. "They didn't feel like their voices were heard and didn't feel like the candidates necessarily represented who they wanted to be selected in the [2024] election," said McPherson.

New York City has made voter participation more accessible since 2000 with the Pro-Voter Law, which requires city agencies to offer voter registration forms to anyone applying for services at any of the 18 agencies. Non-profits like DoSomething bring local artists and activists to New York City schools to encourage young people to register to vote and go to the polls, said McPherson.