In Texas, a state law that mandates high schools to provide voter registration forms to eligible students is falling short, as most 18-year-olds aren't signed up to vote. Despite the requirement, in place since 1983, the protocol is observed more in the breach than the observance. According to KENS5, only a meager 39.6% of Texans aged 18 to 24 were registered to vote as of November 2022, marking a steep decline from earlier years.
Efforts by individuals like David Dzul, who set up a voter registration drive at his high school, are not enough to offset the systemic indifference. Dzul quickly hit a wall when trying to establish who the designated voter registrar at his school was, a common issue contributing to Texas's dismal young voter engagement. "I don’t think the administration supported the initiative so much as they tolerated it," Dzul told The Texas Tribune. Schools are not held accountable for non-compliance to distribute the forms, with no penalties in place for failing to fulfill this educational obligation.
The lackluster approach to fostering early voting habits among the youth stands in stark contrast to the findings of the 2023 Harvard Youth Poll, which suggest that high school experiences play a significant role in emphasizing the importance of voting. Brandon Rottinghaus, a University of Houston political science professor, emphasized the link between early voting habits and lifelong civic engagement, stating, "Starting that habit early is a predictor of lifelong voting."
Contributing to the issue, Texas law complicates matters for digitally-savvy teens by requiring a paper application to register to vote. This method appears archaic to a generation accustomed to conducting their affairs online. Further, changes to how current events and history are taught, spurred by the 2021 law prohibiting the discussion of so-called "controversial" topics, have only muddied the waters of civic education. "It’s not enough to just tell people, ‘voting is important,’" Maggie Stern of the Children’s Defense Fund Texas explained, asserting the need for civics education that connects the dots between elected officials and community impact.
With the Texas Education Agency still in the "planning phase" of developing a civics training program mandated by Senate Bill 3, slated for no later than the 2025-2026 school year, the immediate future of youth voter registration and civic engagement in Texas remains uncertain. Meanwhile, suggestions to improve the situation, such as the bill proposed by Rep. Mary González that would require the secretary of state to mail voter registration applications directly to high schools, go unheard in legislative chambers.
