For Rose Barber, getting young people involved in politics starts with making them feel like they have a place in it.
Barber, president of the University of Nevada, Reno’s Young Democrats, said she saw that interest firsthand at the university’s recent club fair.
“The way that they came up to us in the numbers and also with the level of passion that they brought, I was so highly encouraged to see,” Barber said.
That interest comes as Nevada’s youth electorate continues to grow.
Data from the Secretary of State’s Office shows the number of registered voters ages 18 to 24 has increased by about 18,000 since the 2022 election.
At the same time, more voters in that age group are registering as nonpartisan, outnumbering both Democrats and Republicans.
For Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar, the growing number of young voters could have an impact in a state where elections can come down to the wire.
“We have 2.1 million voters in Nevada. About 1.4, 1.5 million usually turn out and our margins are very thin. The youth vote can really swing an election,” Aguilar said.
Earlier this year, Aguilar launched Youth Vote Nevada, an initiative aimed at increasing youth civic engagement through voter education and outreach to high schools and colleges.
The program includes resources for young voters and opportunities for students to learn about election administration and civic participation.
Aguilar said the goal is to make political participation a habit that starts early.
“Imagine if 50% of those students on campus turned out to vote. They can swing an election one way or the other,” he said.
But registering voters is only one part of the equation.
Woodrow Johnston, chairman of Nevada Young Republicans, said political apathy remains one of the biggest challenges to engaging young voters.
He also said younger voters can be drawn to political movements that challenge the status quo.
“For a good part of history, it was rebellious to be liberal, and now it’s rebellious to be conservative,” Johnston said.
Johnston said his organization is trying to give young conservatives an entry point into Republican politics.
He said young voters are sometimes encouraged to register as Democrats because it is presented as the default, and he wants his organization to reach more of those voters.
“I’m not expecting that we’re going to win a majority of young people. But it would be nice to close the gap as much as possible,” Johnston said.
Barber disputes the idea that young voters are simply apathetic.
“I have to say, especially this year, it is quite the opposite. I couldn’t overstate that more. They are really ready to get mobilized and really ready to get involved,” she said.
For political organizers, the challenge is turning that interest into participation by making political involvement feel relevant to young voters.
As Nevada’s youth electorate grows, the question is whether that interest will translate into turnout.
