Reaching non-college youth for GOTV:

A new report shows that non-college youth vote at levels nearly half of that for college students -- exacerbating the divide between economic levels when it comes to civic participation. Ideas for changing that statistic are welcome! (Or even just an answer as to why you would go on record as opposing youth voting as happened in Illinois!) From the Democracy NC Link of the Day:

A new law in Arizona requires the state’s university system and community colleges to “adopt a plan to increase student voter registration and voting,” with a set of specific items such as providing voter registration forms during orientation. Student government associations strongly pushed the bill, which gained bipartisan support. In Illnois, Democrats are backing a bill opposed by Republicans that would require university campuses to host early voting sites for the 2010 elections; the pilot project’s impact on youth turnout would then be evaluated. North Carolina had early voting sites on (or next to) 20 college campuses in the 2008 general election which helped elevate participation. But what about the youth who are not on college campuses? A report from the Case Foundation points out the wide gap in voter turnout rates among college and non-college youth (62% versus 32% in 2008) and outlines the reasons why more attention should focus on young people not in school.