Hyattsville, MD and UMD Conduct First-in-the-Nation Experiment In Mobilizing Voters Under 18
In the fall of 2021, the City of Hyattsville and the University of Maryland conducted a groundbreaking experiment to explore how voters under the age of 18 respond to government outreach. Hyattsville is one of five cities in the United States that has lowered the voting age to 16 for municipal elections. This study was the first ever to explore what works to mobilize voters under 18 in the United States.

Read the full report on the study’s results and implications for future research.

Literature Review
The Network’s literature review summarizes the most relevant scholarship on the topic of a lower voting age, including research in the US and internationally. This document illuminate what is already known about what happens when cities (or countries!) extend voting rights to younger citizens, and identifies which important questions remain unanswered. This is a comprehensive resource for anyone who wants to know more about existing scholarship on the topic of a lower voting age. Read the lit review.

Message Testing through Survey Research
Network members are helping to inform aspects of a survey research project led by Dr. Jared McDonald of the University of Mary Washington. This project will test different messages about the promise of a lower voting age and learn which messages resonate most strongly with a broad audience.