YOUTH VOTING PATTERNS IN MONTANA UNDERGRADUATE HONORS RESEARCH PROJECT BY BETSY STORY, ADVISED BY DR. SARA RINFRET

THE TRANSIENT YOUTH WHAT CAN VOTER REGISTRATION DATA TELL US ABOUT TURNOUT PATTERNS AND ITS EFFECT UPON LOCAL LEGISLATION AND REPRESENTATION?

METHODS THE VOTER ACCESS NETWORK CAMPUS VOTER REGISTRATION CAMPAIGNS MONTANA UNIVERSITY SYSTEM ENROLLMENT DATA

RESULTS YOUTH APATHY EVOLVING MEDIUMS AND THE IRREVERSIBLE DOWNWARD SPIRAL STUDENT VOTER DISPLACEMENT A POLITICAL DILEMMA CIVIC ENGAGEMENT A CHANGING WORKFORCE AND PEER-TO-PEER MESSAGING

FIRST ASPECT: ABSENTEEISM YEAR OLD’S ABSENTEEISM IMPLICATIONS OF ABSENTEEISM FOR TRANSIENCE 26 YEARS + ABSENTEEISM TRENDS ENGRAINED CONSISTENCY 2012 to 2014 CASE STUDY ENROLLMENT’S EFFECT UPON ABSENTEEISM?

County & Institutions 2012 Enrollment 2012 Absenteeism 2014 Enrollment 2014 Absenteeism Difference in enrollment Difference in absenteeism Beaverhead (UM Western) 1,36639%1,41042%+44+3% Gallatin (MSU Bozeman and Gallatin College) 12,35225%13,37438%+1,022+13% Missoula (UM Missoula and Missoula College) 13,64331%12,21144%-1,432+12% Silver Bow (UM Tech) %216234%+31NONE Yellowstone (MSU Billings and City College at MSUB) 13,03441%13,85849%+824+7%

SECOND ASPECT: VOTER REGISTRATION DATA -ACTIVE VS INACTIVE YEAR OLD VOTER POPULATION TRENDS 26 YEARS + VOTER POPULATION TRENDS FAILED COUNTIES VS SUCCESSFUL COUNTIES

% of Youth Actively Voting % of 26+ Actively Voting % Registered among all Eligible Voters % Active Voters among all Eligible Beaverhead 19%85%59%46% Gallatin 21%89%58%45% Missoula 23%88%51%41% Silver Bow 30%88%49%40% Yellowstone 25%85%47%38%

THIRD ASPECT: GREATER EFFECTS OF HIGH YOUTH TURNOUT  ASPECTS OF HIGH YOUTH TURNOUT COUNTIES vs LOW YOUTH TURNOUT COUNTIES ACCESS TO POLLING STATIONS, SAME-DAY-VOTER REGISTRATION, CAMPAIGN OFFICES  POLITICAL CLIMATES OF HIGH YOUTH TURNOUT COUNTIES vs LOW YOUTH TURNOUT COUNTIES YOUTH INTEREST REPRESENTATION, CAMPAIGNING STYLES AND MEDIUMS, CANDIDATES ISSUES, PLATFORMS, AND POLICIES

CONCLUSION  YOUTH TURNOUT IN MONTANA IS DEPENDENT UPON FLEXIBLE VOTER REGISTRATION REGULATIONS AND ACTIVE CAMPAIGNS IN THE AREA,  HOWEVER, IT HAS SHOWN NO NOTICEABLE EFFECT UPON ELECTION OUTCOMES WHILE THE 26 AND OLDER POPULATION CONTINUES TO VOTE AT A MUCH HIGHER CONSISTENCY.

QUESTIONS? THANK YOU JUDGES AND AUDIENCE!