As many prepare for the general election on November 3, a local organization in Kern County is reflecting on voter turnout in the June 2 primary elections. Loud for Tomorrow, a nonprofit organization based in Delano, focuses on voter turnout in the rural community. Although voter turnout among young adults remains low, Delano youth have shown a higher turnout in this area.
Voters ages 18 to 34 account for 32% of registered voters in Kern County, according to Political Data Inc (PDI). They currently make up only 17% of ballots returned. In Delano, that demographic represents 27% of ballots returned, a higher share than the county average.
In Delano, young adults and first-time voters are actively engaging in the electoral process and following candidates. A total of 7,557 youth have registered to vote in Delano for this election, and 1,222 have returned their ballots so far.
Throughout California, the youth population has been recognized as less engaged and with lower voter turnout.
Biviana Camacho, Loud for Tomorrow’s civic engagement organizer, noticed that many individuals were not engaged or motivated to participate in the voting process.
“We did notice that a lot of the folks we did talk to were unmotivated to vote, and some folks might’ve not known about the primary election,” she said, “It was kind of a mix, really of just not having motivation to vote because of the mistrust of current leadership and the exhaustion of the current state of what’s going on across the country.”
At UC Berkley’s Institute of Governmental Studies, a poll was conducted on California voters’ concerns. The poll showed that approximately 47% of voters ages 18-29 reported they may not vote in the state’s primary election due to a lack of information about candidates and issues. 6% reported that ballots in the state are complicated and too long, and another 6% said they were confused about the voting process. Many in the study also expressed overall agreement that low youth voter turnout in the state is a major concern. Another 23% stated that election results can be manipulated and are not to be trusted as a reason for not voting.
Camacho has also explained that a common theme she and the organization have noticed is a shift to the right, driven by podcasts and influencers. Camacho also pointed out the shift in young men of color leaning towards the right.
“We have seen a shift in young men of color leaning right throughout these past years, and I think it has to do with the hustler and grinder mentality that they have seen from the media,” she said.
At Loud For Tomorrow, the main focus has been on voter registration and pre-registration across the high schools. Through numerous events and canvassing, Loud has created many opportunities for young people to engage and be involved. Camacho shared that the organization offers political education to community members and helps them understand why these issues are impacting their communities.
“Offering spaces where young people can come in and learn about these policy issues, and about these leaders,” she said, “To make them critically think about why things are the way they are and who makes those decisions and how we can change that.”
Recently, they held a two-day event in partnership with the Dolores Huerta Foundation and Aguas Michis to provide information on local candidates and policies and to assist with voter registration. During the two-day event, Loud organizers sought eight new individuals to register to vote. Camacho also explained that, to encourage youth voter registration, they held a competition among members of the organization and high school students to engage more young people in the voting process.
“We had a voter competition running from the month of May, where we had a team and an individual from different high schools, and their goal was to register 60 high school students to vote, and they would get a scholarship,” said Camacho.
Through this initiative, those students not only received a scholarship for their efforts but also received education on policies, measures, and more. Many of them also presented and tabled during their lunch periods, providing infographics to engage their peers.
Apart from Delano having a higher percentage of youth voter turnout, voters aged 65 and older continue to account for the largest share of ballots returned in Delano. That specific group currently represents 45% of these returned ballots, compared with other demographics in the city.
Although Loud primarily serves 16-30-year-olds, they partnered with Delano Guardians, another local organization from Delano that also provides frequent resources to its community. Through this partnership, members at Loud were able to learn and see how they engage with a broader audience.
With the midterm elections underway, Camacho hopes to continue their partnership with the Delano Guardians and get more community members involved.
“This election season, leading up to November, we’re gonna be partnering together, we hope to partner together and do some engagement work to engage both young people and some of the older folks as well,” shared Camacho.
