Hey, Governor Shapiro: Time to Declare a Democracy Emergency

Governor Whitmer provides a roadmap

When the 95 freeway collapsed in Philadelphia, Governor Josh Shapiro proclaimed a state of emergency. His administration marshaled resources and expertise to meet an urgent need. The result: problem solved in less than two weeks.

Well, we have another state of emergency in Pennsylvania, and it’s happening right now, whether you know it or not.

There are roughly 160,000 18-year-olds who are old enough to vote in November. But our analysis shows only 29% of them are registered to vote. Those who are not registered are on a path to be shut out, just at a time when we need their voices most. 

We often hear about Pennsylvania in the same breath as Michigan, as both states are considered critical for a presidential candidate to reach 270. But Michigan is doing a vastly better job at ensuring their newest voters are educated, aware and registered by the time they turn 18. They got their registration rate for 18-year-olds up to 65.4% as of June 1, one of the highest rates we’ve seen nationwide. That’s 86,094 new youth voters in Michigan, just since one year ago. 

Here’s Governor Whitmer’s list of voting best practices for state agencies, straight from her executive order from late 2023.¹ The amazing thing about this list is that it costs basically nothing to implement but spreads nonpartisan, accessible information far and wide about how to participate. 

Michigan has also designated a broad array of social services agencies as voter registration agencies, including housing, labor, and economic development agencies, under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). 

And the Secretary of State has convened a roundtable of students and issued detailed reporting about youth participation to promote dual virtues of accountability and engagement. The results speak for themselves.

Someone needs to tell Gov. Shapiro (and Khalid Mumin, the PA Secretary of Education, and Al Schmidt, the Secretary of State): Election Day is less than four months away, and the registration deadline is just over three months away. Young Pennsylvanians need a bridge to democracy, and they need it now.

The Pennsylvania Education Code already says that one of the purposes of the study of history and government is to instill in “every boy and girl who comes out of our public, private and parochial schools [an understanding of] their solemn duty and obligation to exercise intelligently their voting privilege(…)” Approved teaching materials promulgated by the Pennsylvania Department of Education recognize preparation for voting and voter registration as part of the high school curriculum. 

If that were being executed effectively in every Pennsylvania high school, the statewide registration rate would not be under 30%. The rates have increased since February, but the pace is too slow. If it doesn’t pick up, fewer than half of PA’s 160,000 18-year-olds will be registered in time to vote in November. For the details, check out our scorecard below for the top-10 counties, and at the end of this post for school district snapshots.

There is no reason Pennsylvania can’t implement the same full-court press as Michigan. So what do you say, Gov. Shapiro? If you’re looking for pointers on how to apply your 95 bridge magic to solve the problem of low youth registration and turnout, Gov. Whitmer is waiting for your call. 

1. Here’s Michigan Governor Whitmer’s list of voting best practices for state agencies, straight from her executive order from late 2023:

*All departments and autonomous agencies must adopt, to the greatest extent possible, each of the following “Voting Information Best Practices”:

a. Place a link to michigan.gov/vote, the Michigan Voter Information Center (MVIC), in the footer or pre-footer area of each department or agency website.

b. Include a link to the MVIC in the footer of emails distributed to the general public.

c. Include a QR code containing a link to the MVIC on printed materials that are distributed to members of the public.

d. Play a message containing information about the MVIC to those who call the office and are placed on hold.

e. Encourage office employees to place in the signature of their office email a link or graphic that links to the MVIC.

f. Place signage containing a QR code linking to the MVIC within public-facing areas of all offices.

g. Encourage and create opportunities for office employees to volunteer as non-partisan election workers.

---