Pima Youth Vote Initiative Relaunches

As the 2022 midterm elections are approaching, Cradle to Career and its United Youth Leadership Council (UYLC) are excited to announce the relaunch of Pima Youth Vote. UYLC’s voter mobilization project was a notable achievement in 2020, helping to register over 500 new voters and collect over 5,000 voter pledges. To build upon these efforts for the 2022 midterm elections, UYLC was awarded $15,000 from Opportunity Youth United in partnership with The Carolina Fund and Tides Foundation.

 

Malika Ghafour, C2C’s Youth Empowerment Program Manager, explained the importance of the Pima Youth Vote Initiative.

 

“When young people’s voices are not included in civic debate, our community misses the chance to hear from those whose lives are most impacted by the decisions of policy makers,” Ghafour said. “We want to make sure that youth in our community continue to see the value in voting at the state and local levels too.”

 

Voter turnout from the 2020 general election in Pima County revealed there is still a need for additional outreach and tools to help engage Opportunity Youth (youth ages 18-24 disconnected from school or work) in the democratic process. According to the 2021 Civics Center Report, the turnout rate for young people aged 18-24 in Arizona was 52% in the 2020 presidential election and 35% in the midterm in 2018.

 

Pima Youth Vote and the UYLC will focus on updating voter registration guides to reflect the state midterm election protocols, assessing youth’s stances on issues that matter to them via survey collection, and increasing awareness of voter registration and turnout through outreach with Opportunity Youth.

 

For more information on Pima Youth Vote and the United Youth Leadership Council, contact Malika Ghafour at mghafour@unitedwaytucson.org.