In the video, one can learn two things; (1) everyone knows who Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton is, and (2) it seems as if all other candidates do not stand a chance of capturing the attention of millennials. So, what does this mean for voter turnout? Voter turnout, especially with millennials, is characterized on how well they can identify with a candidate and how well they can give a candidate name recognition.

However, for this generation, most tend to think outside of the two-party realm of politics and often have independent views of their own. In a New America report, The Civic and Political Participation of Millennials, through a poll it showed that 50% of millennials identified at politically independent, and of the entire polled population that claimed to be independent, 50% were millennials.

For politicians, this could mean trouble. Because of these non-partisan views, this generation often spends effort and time outside of political campaigns and lobbying and more time in community; which, for civil engagement is a good thing. Though little involved in politics as a whole, this generation is often involved in community volunteering, consumer activism and spearheading other civic campaigns on digital platforms such as blogs, websites and social media.

The issue is not “why aren’t they engaged with politics and elections” but rather “why aren’t political candidates engaging with them and going where they are.”

About the author:  Justin Ashwell is a Marketing Intern at Follow My Vote.

The post Where Are The Millennials At? appeared first on Follow My Vote.

Hilary Clinton has also proposed various other methods intended to increase access to the ballot box. In addition to automatic voter registration she has also proposed that early voting (in person) be expanded,  felons should have voting rights be restored (contingent upon serving sentences), and parts of the Voting Rights Act be restored. In 2013 the Supreme Court struck down parts of the Voting Rights Act.

The Act that was specifically struck down was to combat racial discrimination in voting. The Brennan Center for Justice stated the following about this overturned key provision of the Voting Rights Act.

Under Section 5 of the landmark civil rights law, jurisdictions with a history of discrimination must seek pre-approval of changes in voting rules that could affect minorities. This process, known as “preclearance,” blocks discrimination before it occurs.  In Shelby County v. Holder, the Court invalidated Section 4 — which determines the states and localities covered by Section 5 — arguing that current conditions require a new coverage formula.

Hilary Clinton is campaigning for voting rights. We will most likely see her focus on automatic voter registration and other issues like it as she tries to win votes before the 2016 election. The following is what Hilary said regarding her initiatives on automatic voter registration.

“We have a responsibility to say clearly and directly what’s really going on in our country. Because what is happening is a sweeping effort to disempower and disenfranchise people of color, poor people and young people from one end of our country to another,” she said at Texas Southern University, a historically black college.

Follow My Vote is a proponent of all methods of improving access to the polls. However we also see this as a strategy of a political party to further its agenda. Typically Democrats want to expand voter access, with little regard for voting security. The Republicans on the other hand are very aware of voter fraud and tend to support legislation that focuses on election integrity at the expense of voter access.

Automatic voter registration is something we can get behind, however we must make sure that this does not create extra ballots that can be used for voter fraud. This is one more reason we need provably honest elections. Please let us know what you think of automatic voter registration! We want to know what the American people want, not just what the parties want.

Source: WSJ

About the author: Will Long is the Marketing Manager of Follow My Vote. Will supports automatic voter registration but only if we can vote online in a decentralized secure way.

The post Should The US Have Automatic Voter Registration? appeared first on Follow My Vote.