Signs of youth in local democracy

Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.

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Macalester College student Troy Barksdale is a member of the college football team, a Mac-Groveland-area renter and bike rider who is in his last semester in school. And at age 22, he's also running to become a member of the St. Paul City Council.

He got a late start entering the race and lacks the experience of other candidates. But although he didn't receive the Star Tribune Editorial Board's endorsement in the Third Ward, he made a positive impression on editorial writers during candidate interviews — so much so that the board hopes to see him on another ballot in the future.

Barksdale is among the growing number of younger people — even some who are not yet eligible to vote — who have become politically active in the Twin Cities metro area this year. That positive development brings more voices to the tables of decisionmaking in campaigns and governing bodies. And having more youth involvement expands representation and supports greater participation in the democratic process.

To encourage the youth movement, Minnesota lawmakers this year passed legislation that allows 16- and 17-year-olds to preregister to vote. Secretary of State Steve Simon's office reports that more than 1,500 teens already have done so. Quoted in a previous editorial praising that move, Simon said that if young people think of themselves as voters before they can vote, it is more likely they'll participate when they turn 18 and make casting a ballot a lifelong habit.

Nationally, more than 40 million members of Gen Z alone will be eligible to vote in 2024 — an increase of 8 million who have aged into the electorate since the 2022 midterms, according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). Young people of color make up about 45% of that Gen Z group.

CIRCLE research also shows that those who have preregistered to vote in future elections are more likely to be politically active as adults.

In another local example of younger people being involved in democracy, a group of five women in their 20s and 30s made their candidacies for St. Paul City Council official on the same day when they filed to run in August. If they are successful, and if two incumbents seeking re-election win their seats, St. Paul would have the youngest, most racially diverse council in city history. All seven would be women younger than 40, and six would be women of color.

At filing time, incumbent Mitra Jalali told the Star Tribune that she was first motived to run for office in 2018 because she "didn't see myself or the people I care about reflected in city conversations," noting that adding more diverse voices to the council reflects St. Paul's changing demographics.

Another reason more young people are getting more involved in elections is because some of the entertainers and athletes they look up to are encouraging it. Vote.org, a nonprofit and nonpartisan get-out-the-vote group, said that 35,252 people registered to vote using its platform on National Voter Registration Day after singer Taylor Swift encouraged her fans to take the step in a social media post.

The organization reported record-breaking traffic to its website, with a 1,226% jump in participation the hour after Swift posted, Vote.org said in a news release.

Barksdale is not the first 20-something to enter a Twin Cities race. But his candidacy is encouraging, as are the growing ranks of youthful campaign workers in Minneapolis and St. Paul. For the age group that has historically had low voter turnout, having more teens and 20-somethings involved in elections is a positive sign for the future of democracy.