by Ephraim Churchill, staff writer
As Colorado’s voting season winds to a close, one question hangs in the air, steady and unresolved: Will the voice of the young be heard? With policies on climate, education, housing, and the everyday realities of life for those under 25 on the line, the influence young Coloradans could have had never been more profound. Yet so many voices, full of potential and power, remain quiet.
Despite the state’s growing number of young people, their presence at the ballot box remains far behind that of older generations. In the 2022 midterm elections, only 38.8% of registered 18- to 24-year-olds cast a ballot, compared to a striking 86.7% turnout among voters ages 65 to 74. Colorado may boast one of the highest youth participation rates in the nation, but even so, the imbalance reveals a sobering truth, the future is being forged largely without input from those who will live with its consequences the longest.
Experts point to a familiar culprit: a lack of information. Many young voters feel unprepared, uncertain, or overwhelmed by the candidates and ballot measures put before them. In a political atmosphere muddied by misinformation and opinion masquerading as fact, hesitation can quickly harden into silence. Voters get their ballots, glance through the unfamiliar language, and set them aside, unsure where to begin.
But the tools to understand these issues have never been more accessible. Nonpartisan voter guides, official state resources, community groups, campus organizations, and local libraries all offer clear, digestible explanations of every race and measure. The support exists, steadfast, available, and waiting. The question is whether young voters will choose to take hold of it.
Beyond confusion lies something deeper, a sense of disconnection. Many young people feel their single vote is inconsequential, especially in national contests. Yet this overlooks the immense impact youth voices can have at the local and state levels. City councils, school boards, and state legislatures make decisions touching every corner of daily life from bus fares to environmental protections to reproductive rights. And in many of these races, the margin between winning and losing is not thousands of votes, but hundreds.
Political researchers hammer away at one straightforward reality. When younger generations show up, leaders listen. Elected officials tend to give more consideration to the needs of the people who actually vote. When older residents rule the polls, policies will continue reflecting their priorities. But when young voters step forward in larger numbers, the conversation shifts toward issues that the young care about, issues shaping the decades ahead.
Colorado has already removed many of the barriers that stand between voters and the ballot box. Same day registration, universal mail ballots, and drop-off locations far and wide make the act of voting easier here than in nearly any other state. The final barrier, then, is not the system, it is the willingness to engage with it.
Each ballot is a small but meaningful declaration, “My voice matters.” For young voters, that declaration is not just a civic duty but a reflection of hope, a belief that their choices can transform their communities and their future. Voting requires only a few minutes, yet those minutes carry the weight of a generation.
So as ballots continue to arrive across the state, the question circles back to where we began. Will young voters choose to step into their power? Will they speak up, not tomorrow, not someday, but now, when their voices are needed most?
