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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 If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

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

By William Boger
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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.
Sources
Marijuana Policy Project: 2020 ballot initiatives
Tufts: 2018 youth voter turnout increased in every state
US Census: 2018 midterm election turnout
FiveThirty Eight: Marijuana doesn't bring young voters to the polls
Tufts: Young people believe they can lead change in unprecedented election cycle
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Gigafact
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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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.