This paper suggests that digital technology can provide a meaningful opportunity to engage younger voters in politics and voting.  The conclusions are based on an experiment in using technology-based voter education with younger voters.

Their CD-based material provided voters with a way to learn about the candidates with minimal effort, and used games to engage them in the information.

Additional details

Two weeks before an election in California in 2002, participants were sent an ebook compiled on a CD with an “exhaustive and easily searchable database” with information about the two major candidates. The ebook had four chapters:

• Politics in the Golden State (overview of elections law and procedures)
• The Candidates (biography of the two candidates0
• The Issues (excerpts from speeches on major issues)
• The Media (a summary of a debate and news articles)

Some versions of the CD (the “youth version”) also included games, contests, and quizzes.

• Participants who saw the CD with the games were 15% more likely to vote than the overall turnout; those who saw the CD without the games were 11% more likely.
• Both groups expressed more interest in the campaign (7%)
• However neither group was more likely to feel that they had political influence than the control group.

Links

• Author’s site (pdf)