Voter registration may not be a high priority for youth seeking our services. Many of our youth facing homelessness and survivors of human trafficking who come to CHNJ have been in survival mode. Prior to finding CHNJ, their day may have often been consumed by questions like:
- Where will I sleep tonight?
- Where will I get my next meal?
- Where will I wash up to go to school or work?
The circumstances of our youth are often the result of dysfunctional families where physical abuse, sexual abuse, drug use and more may be present in the family home or foster care home. (FY23 demographics of our youth.)
In survival mode, registering to vote may be a very distant vision. In a society where these youth have been left behind and marginalized, there may also be an attitude of dissatisfaction leading to a question of “why vote”.
Registering Our Youth
In keeping with our philosophy that we are so much more than “just” food and shelter, we “celebrated” National Voter Registration Day (September 17th). During the months of September and October, our Dove Learning Centers (DLC) across the state, held workshops and social events on the importance of voting and provided support to youth who wished to register to vote.
Across the state, roughly 48 youth chose to register to vote reflecting views such as Diana’s, “This is more personal, but my family always voted so when I turned 18 it was just something I naturally did. I know my vote is only a small portion of it, but it takes a village to ensure that we have candidates who need to be in office are reflective of the village.”
But not all our youth wanted to register as reflected in this comment from HH, “I’m not voting because I don’t think my voice counts.”
Other youth offered comments on the state of our democracy. “Some barriers that young people face is not having accurate information on the candidates and their policies because most of the information they receive is from social media/influencers.” – Mikayla
Our Role
At CHNJ, we are proud to meet the youth wherever they are in their journey from homelessness. We offer an array of options and services customized to meet their individual needs. With our youth often lacking an adult role model to navigate the transition to adulthood, CHNJ can step up to fill this void. Voter registration is yet one more option we provide to assist our youth transition into adulthood.
