Maryland has relatively strong youth voter registration rates, but that’s not the full story.

Major disparities exist between counties.

A major factor is whether young people have a driver’s license.

Driver’s license attainment is correlated with voter registration and pre-registration rates for 16-, 17-, and 18-year-olds.

County-by-county data shows that license attainment among 16- and 17-year-olds strongly correlates with voter pre-registration rates.

And that same pattern continues at age 18.

Counties with more 18-year-old drivers have higher registration rates.

Right now, 1 in 3 Maryland 18-year-olds is not registered to vote.

Expanding automatic registration and voter education can help close this gap.

Colorado shows what’s possible.

Small changes to DMV pre-registration can boost rates dramatically. Notifying youth that they aren’t registered boosts rates by 18%, and implementing a default voter registration system boosts them by 29%.

Montgomery County offers an additional model:

Voter education and school-based outreach through a student election judge program boosted youth registration rates above what license data would predict.

To close the 18-year-old registration gap in Maryland:

✅ Strengthen automatic registration at the MVA

✅ Expand AVR beyond the MVA to other agencies

✅ Boost school-based outreach like student election judge programs

Learn more at cdce.substack.com/p/maryland-c....

The upshot?

Voters are most supportive of #Vote16 for school board elections– especially among certain constituencies.

This support is sufficient to pass and implement Vote 16 policies in many cities and towns.

Read more at vote16.substack.com/p/674-of-new....

Certain groups are more likely to support #Vote16, but barriers in perception remain.

Finally, Dr. Laird shared that she believes that civic engagement is vital for the stability of our democracy.

And she shared that as a fun fact— she enjoys crocheting!

Thank you, Dr. Laird, for your leadership, scholarship, and impact. ⭐

The big question driving Dr. Laird’s work is “At what age does someone start to believe in a racial linked fate?”

And her top insight is that “Black girls’ awareness of the political world is exceptional!”