New data show young SC voters could have big impact on presidential election

Voters across South Carolina and the nation, particularly young people between the ages of 18-24, are gearing up for the November presidential election.

The 2020 presidential election marked a shift away from the low turnout rates of young voters. Nationally, an estimated 50% of young people voted in that presidential election, likely one of the highest rates since the voting age was lowered to 18 years old, according to Tufts University.

There has been a similar new surge in youth voter registrations in South Carolina so far this year.

Some 19,000 people aged 18-24 have registered since January, according to as-yet-unpublished data from the South Carolina Election Commission.

“We have seen that increase in voters,” said Sydni Bain, voter education outreach coordinator at the election commission. “We have seen the increase from January up until now, and that’s encouraging to see. We like to see numbers jump like that, and to see that number jump already so fast is encouraging.”

The commission is not the only organization that has noted young people’s increased interest in voting. Shannon Bridgmon, a political science instructor at the University of South Carolina, has noticed an uptick in involvement among her students.

“I’ve been teaching since 2003 in colleges and a generation ago now, my students were very apathetic,” Bridgmon said. “But when you see elections that are really, really close – and especially what happened next door in Georgia in 2020 and in 2018 over there – you’re seeing more young people realize that participation is a legitimate avenue that’s worth their time.”

Matthew Goins, secretary of South Carolina Young Republicans, believes that if young people turn out on Election Day, it could have a major impact on the outcome of the presidential race.

“I think we could see a big turnout of younger voters in this race, and I would argue maybe not (just in) South Carolina, but in swing states like Georgia and Arizona. I think whichever candidate, whichever party can get the young people to the polls, that could get them to the threshold of victory,” Goins said.

Bridgmon said a candidate age may have contributed to the increase in registration.

“Regardless of ideology, before Vice President Harris became the nominee, you had an octogenarian and an almost octogenarian running, and that connection to young people overall just wasn’t there,” Bridgmon said.

The impact of the surge of young people registering to vote is unclear as Election Day approaches. But some experts believe the election results could prove that many young voters want to vote for candidates closer to their age.

“It’s going to be something interesting to see once the election is over and we see who actually voted.” said Chase Meyer, a political science instructor at USC. “Was this just an expected surge in youth turnout, just normal as it had been previously, or is this election going to show proof that young people respond to young candidates?”