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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

Have marijuana legalization measures been a big driver of youth turnout?

By William Boger
NO

Assumptions that pro-marijuana ballot initiatives motivate youth voter turnout are not supported by evidence. Initiatives on the 2020 ballot in two "battleground" states with contested Senate races—Montana and Arizona—have focused renewed attention on the question.

Youth turnout is driven by many different factors. Overall desire for change and partisan enthusiasm tend to have more influence than a particular policy measure. In 2018 youth turnout jumped 79% from the 2014 midterms. In California youth participation tripled, influenced by strong support for Democrats in statewide and Congressional races. Looking at 14 elections prior to 2014 with marijuana-related issues on the ballot, a FiveThirtyEight analyst concluded there were at most small effects on turnout, and that any bump didn't necessarily favor Democrats.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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