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!”

What looks like a win for voter access can quickly backfire if it's set up in a way that drives away the professionals we need to deliver excellent election administration to American communities.

And for advocacy groups and policy makers, are we making "bandwidth informed" decisions about policy and litigation that take into account all the responsibilities and demands on the time of elections professionals?