What they're saying: Parkland students turn out for Florida primary elections
Some students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and survivors from Arapahoe and Aurora during the Vote for Our Lives event in Littleton, Colorado. Photo: Joe Amon/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Parkland student activists voted for the first time in the 2018 midterm elections.
Why it matters: The turnout rate among young voters in the nation's largest swing state could be a glimpse of what's to come across the country in November.
The backdrop: A recent analysis by TargetSmart found that ongoing voter outreach efforts have already increased voter registration among people 29 and younger across battleground states following the February 14 shooting.
- In Florida, voters between the ages of 18-29 made up 26.23% of all new voter registrations before the Feb. 14 high school massacre. Almost three months after the shooting, they made up 34.22% of all new voter registrations in the state.
- The Parkland activists have rallied for tighter gun control laws and had their first tangible opportunity to make a difference on primary night.
Be smart: Young people typically don't vote in significant numbers, especially in midterm elections. But if they do, they have the potential to shape the outcome of the Tuesday night’s primaries and the midterm elections — they're the largest voting bloc this year.
What they're saying:
Go deeper: First look: Harvard poll sees wave of young voters this fall; Youth voter registration spiked in battleground states after Parkland shooting