Can I Pre-Register to Vote Before I'm 18 Years Old?

As a student I was involved in many different extracurricular activities, including being a member of the Mock Trial team and President of Interact (high school level Rotary Club). I also participated in school plays and musicals. For social science classes, I took AP U.S. Government and Politics, AP U.S. History, AP Modern European History, and an additional course centered on the United Nations. 
 

I have alway had a desire to be involved and learn more about how the world around us works. That desire led to an interest in studying history and its impact on our current society. 

From there, I found myself becoming more involved in civic engagement and a desire to be an active participant in our government. Participating on the Mock Trial team exposed me to court proceedings and gave me a better understanding of the judicial branch of government. 

Being a part of Interact gave me perspective toward the need for services and charities both in collaboration with and in addition to what government services are provided.

AP Government, AP U.S. History, and the UN course fulfilled the need to understand our government better from a holistic perspective. 

Yes, I recall registering for the first time and being excited to finally be able to vote and participate in our electoral process. 

I turned 18 after the school year ended, versus some of my classmates who already had the ability to vote in the 2010 midterm elections. I remember being dismayed at being unable to vote then and also having to wait until after high school was over to be able to be a full participant in the process. 

Registering to vote was thankfully very easy. I would attribute this to being interested and involved in school at a time when information became so accessible. 

When I was a freshman in high school most of my friends just had normal flip phones and could text but had limited internet access. When I graduated everyone had already gotten iPhones or some type of smartphone and could easily look up how to vote, when to vote, etc. 

And then it helped that in school we were constantly being engaged and given both the opportunity and information to pre-register. 

At the time of registration I opted to be an independent. At the time, party affiliation felt contrary to my beliefs as a voter. I felt it was important to be open to hearing multiple sides rather than a specific party affiliation. 

I still feel this way; while I understand the merits of the closed primary system I disagree with its premise. I think primary elections, particularly for state and local elections, should be open to independents. I instead voted for the first time in 2011, the November after I had turned 18. 

Absolutely, I believe registering should be as easy as possible. 

Registering early encouraged me to remain more invested in the political process, knowing that when the time came to cast my ballot I would want to be well informed. 

The process also engaged me to ensure my parents and older siblings were also registered.

I would say the simplicity of registering was probably the highest contributing factor. 

Also, the ability to register through the DMV. For Connecticut teens, a huge part of turning 16, 17, and 18 is getting your driver’s permit and license. During the process, you simply have to check a box and you’re registered to vote. 

There’s nothing easier than already being in the process of doing something and then having the ability to just check a box and have it done. A lot of times this can be a barrier that’s hard to overcome, because teens don’t have that same incentive to get an ID or a license (I’m thinking of teens in the city, specifically). 

And then, in thinking specifically about incentives or catalysts of actions, it really comes down to how the local schools are promoting voting to their students. Making the process easier and including it in some incentive-based program would definitely influence people to pre-register more. This is easier said than done because it would require resources dedicated towards incentivizing teens to register. 

For me, voting drives really helped. There were so many opportunities available that it became hard not to be registered. I would have had to actively avoid it. 

For teenagers at that age there are so many things in life that are actively vying for their attention. Registering to vote is one of those things where, if it's attached to something and made easily accessible, then engagement is likely to increase. But it requires effort and resources. It requires cooperation from a lot of people, whether it is teachers, administration, elected officials, etc. 

I will say another catalyst which incentivized my desire to register early was the need to be an active participant in a political scene filled with both debate and hope. My four years of high school coincided with Barack Obama taking office during a tumultuous period. However, unbeknownst to myself and many others at the time, the topic of politics was not as polarizing as it is now. You could have a spirited debate and disagree but still be civil. 

That spirit of debate drew myself and others to want to participate in the process. The current political climate in the country feels void of that environment.

Yes, I have yet to miss an Election Day. I try my best to stay informed about elections and the voting process. 

For example, right now I’m happy that Connecticut has finally passed legislation to implement early voting and make it more accessible. It became apparent during 2020 and afterwards that we as a state were behind and needed to update our processes. 

In terms of my perspective on voting, I’m not sure if it’s changed significantly from when I was in high school. I still believe that voting should be as easy as possible, that everyone should have the ability to vote and participate in the electoral process.

I think that registering should be easy and that same-day registration should be allowed everywhere. I still think that there should be more polling stations, more days and hours where people should be able to vote, and that employers, both federal and private, should actively encourage their employees to vote and give them time off if needed. 

I also am still a proponent of the idea that local elections matter more than federal elections, and that more of an emphasis needs to be placed on voting in non-presidential election years. 

Absolutely, I don’t think I would be as likely to vote now if it wasn’t for my early political engagement. 

I learned how important it was to vote and be a part of the process then, and that’s stuck with me as I’ve grown older. 

For others, their engagement in the political process tends to only come when it has a direct effect on their personal life. I find that a lot of the people in my age group are less incentivized to vote than they were when we were 18. 

The first step to getting involved is to participate, and the easiest way to participate is through voting. Voting is something that you may not realize how important it is until it is too late. Unlike presidential elections, elections for ballot initiatives, governors, mayor, representatives, and senators all affect your life more than you realize. 

So register early if you can; get it out the way. That way when the time comes to vote, there will be nothing in your way. Never forget that your vote matters.