What We Do
Working out of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Adolescents and Young Adult Health (JHCAYAH), we seek to empower Baltimore City’s young adults to vote in upcoming elections.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story can make all the difference.
Telling your story through voting can positively impact your life for years to come.
Our Mission
We aim to empower teens and young adults in the Baltimore City area on the journey from adolescence to adulthood by encouraging civic engagement while highlighting its health and wellness benefits. Voting, considered one form of civic engagement, has been shown to promote positive youth development. However, less than one-third of young adults aged 18-24 voted in the 2018 United States Midterm elections, giving them the lowest turnout rate and lowest percentage of overall voters. Because civic engagement can positively impact a young person’s health and future success, this project aims to increase voter registration and future voting intention, assess barriers to voting, and develop strategies to facilitate and support voting for adolescents in the 2020 election and beyond.
Increase…
pediatric and adolescent medicine provider awareness & knowledge of the importance of civic engagement in young adults
discussion of civic engagement & its benefits with patients during clinic visits
referral to clinic voter registration services & subsequent registration of patients to vote in future elections
young adult voter turnout at Baltimore City polling places in future elections
Assess…
voter registration status & future voting intention among young adult patients
young adult patients registered to vote with the implementation of provider guidelines & discussion
young adults’ opinions of & barriers to civic engagement
Develop…
programmatic efforts to facilitate and increase voter registration & voting participation in future elections
national networks with shared resources aiding practitioners in promotion of civic engagement activities for their patients
guidelines for future practitioners looking to increase voter registration with in-clinic patient populations
Our work is non-partisan, meaning we do not endorse any candidate or party.