Question

In the first presidential election where those between eighteen and twenty-one could vote, the

turnout rate for the new voters was about:_____.

Answer 1

In the 1972 presidential election, the voter turnout rate for new voters aged between eighteen and twenty-one was about 50.9 percent in the 18 to 24-year-old demographic following the passage of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the first presidential election where those between eighteen and twenty-one could vote, the turnout rate for the new voters was about 50.9 percent in the 18 to 24-year-old demographic. This election was immediately following the passage of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment in 1971, which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.

Historically, after 1972, turnout among young voters generally remained below 40 percent as youth became less engaged with politics. However, certain elections, such as those in 2008 and 2020, saw significant surges in youth voter turnout due to various factors, including the appeal of particular candidates like Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and increased voter registration efforts by organizations like Rock the Vote, which leveraged new technologies to reach and mobilize young voters.