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07/01/2020 09:30 AMAs the November election looms closer and with young voters in particular once again being encouraged to vote, the Harbor News took a look to see just how many young voters actually do get out to vote in Clinton.
At the June 7 rally was held in downtown Clinton to protest against police brutality and support the Black Lives Matter movement. It’s likely that more people in their teens and 20s were gathered on the Pierson School lawn that day than turned out to vote in the 2019 election seven months ago. The event was estimated by organizers to have been attended by more than 300 people, the majority of whom were young people.
The event was attended by State Senator Norm Needleman (D-33), Christine Goupil (a Democratic state representative candidate), and State Representative Jesse MacLahlan (R-35), all of whom are candidates for seats in the Connecticut legislature this November, and all of whom urged citizens to vote in November as part of the solution to fix the systemic issues discussed at the rally.
According to numbers provided by the registrars of voters on June 10, there are 1,369 registered voters in Clinton between the ages of 18 and 30. Only 219 members in that age range turned out to vote in the November 2019 election. That age range accounted for only six percent of total voters.
Municipal elections like the one held in 2019 don’t receive the same attention that presidential or midterm elections get from the national media, but are still important to the day-to-day lives of citizens. In fact, it is arguable that the leaders at the local level will have more of an impact on the daily lives of residents than the president.
For example in Clinton, some of the positions determined by the 2019 election were the those who now serve as the top legislative board in town and set town policies, the people who can hire police officers and the police chief, members now on the Board of Education, and commission members who now decide what kinds of businesses can or can’t come into town.
In that same municipal election, people aged 60 to 75 accounted for 37 percent of the all the votes cast in the election. Of the 3,622 total votes in the election, 1,353 people aged 60 to 75 voted—that’s 47.6 percent of the 2,841 registered voters in that age range.
Some of the discrepancy in turnout numbers can be likely attributed to young people being less likely to being established in their careers and living situations when compared to older people who are more likely to have longer roots in the community. On the other hand, young people who are interested in living in the community long term have more to gain by voting for than older people who may not need to face the long-term consequences of their votes.
The town has been trying to attract young people and young families to Clinton in a variety of ways for years. For example, new developments proposed in town (particularly at the former Unilever property) have been lauded in part for the chance that they will bring more young people and their money to town. However, the voting numbers suggest that young people in Clinton have not yet decided that by voting for leaders who share their values at the local and state level, they can exert influence on the direction their community takes on social, fiscal, and development issues.
In the highly charged 2016 presidential election, turnout was up for both groups. In that election, 833 people aged 18 to 30 turned up to vote (11 percent of total vote) compared to 2,032 aged 60 to 75 (28 percent of total vote). There were 7,270 votes cast in that election.
With the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting so much of normal society, voting turnout is uncertain for the November elections. While the contentious presidential election will take center stage, the important state elections will also be decided. Whether young voters in Clinton will heed that message as much their elders remains to be seen.
To find out more about how to register to vote in Clinton, visit: clintonct.org/364/Voter-Registration