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Experts suggest marijuana legalization, raised minimum wage may increase millennial voter participation

Prop. 205 and 206 could draw younger voters to the booths on Nov. 8

Tempe Undergraduate Student Government hosts a voter-registration drive on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2015, outside the Memorial Union on the Tempe campus.

Tempe Undergraduate Student Government hosts a voter-registration drive on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2015, outside the Memorial Union on the Tempe campus.


The upcoming election season could become the perfect storm for millennial voter turnout now that the generation has the power to legalize recreational marijuana and raise minimum wage.

Come Election Day on Nov. 8, students will not only have the opportunity to vote for their preferred presidential candidates, but they will also be apart of determining the fate of Prop. 205 and Prop. 206, which experts project will be major incentives for first-time millennial voters to engage in this year’s general election. 

Prop. 205 is a ballot initiative created by The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol that, if passed, would allow the use of taxed, recreational marijuana by those aged 21 and older.

If Arizona residents vote to pass Prop. 206, the state's minimum wage will raise to $10 by 2017, and then to $12 by 2020. The proposition will also introduce paid sick-time off for minimum wage workers.

Cody Holt, the director of membership for ASU Students for Sensible Drug Policy, said there will likely be a record-setting turnout from millennial voters due to the bipartisan interest of these propositions.

“We’re going to see a large number of new voters coming out, mainly because this vote affects more than just Republicans and Democrats,” he said. “This transcends party lines.”

He said he believes the millennial vote will generally support marijuana legalization because many millennials are not as opposed to the popularized drug as previous generations.

"I think that millennial voters are working to support marijuana legalization, especially because they haven’t had a lot of the drug war propaganda drilled into them," he said.

The club's president, Maya Tatum said she believes there will be a stronger turnout from ASU’s Democratic voters this election because of millennial interest in drug reform.

“I would probably think maybe Republicans would be more likely to stay home,” she said. “Talking to people who are more Democratic, they just seem to be a lot more open-minded (about Prop. 205) ... versus the conversations I’ve had with the people who have more of the conservative mindset. They aren’t very accepting of change.”

According to a study conducted by Pew Research center between 1992 and 2016, the amount of voters aged 18-29 has increased by 2 percent with Democratic interests, while the amount of voters aged 18-29 has decreased by 8 percent with Republican interest. 

Mark Atkins, the club treasurer for ASU College Republicans, also said he believes a majority of college students will vote for the legalization of marijuana.

“In my opinion, I think a lot of college students will vote yes for Prop. 205 for the legalization of marijuana," he said. "In addition to that, I think it’s a matter of personal freedom and that a lot of college students recognize that adults can responsibly consume marijuana without compromising the safety and well-being of others."

However, he said there will be a different outcome for college Republicans and Prop. 206.

“I think that a lot of college students in the state of Arizona feel the same way I do in that raising the minimum wage can hurt a lot of businesses,” he said. “Although it may appear helpful at the surface, I think that there are a lot of companies out there that are willing to pay more if students are willing to seek out opportunities to find higher paying jobs.”

However, Suzanne Wilson, communications director for AZ Healthy Families, said millennials will identify with the need for an increased minimum wage due to their rapidly increasing tuition.

"I think Prop. 206 will actually help Arizona's young people save up for college," she said. "Arizona leads the nation in tuition hikes, having risen about 83 percent, I think, over the last seven years. It's extremely challenging for full-time students who have to pay for rent and groceries to have to survive on $8.05 an hour."  

ASU Young Democrats President Austin Marshall said he believes a great number of college students will vote in favor of both ballot initiatives partially because of the new polling location.

“I think turnout is going to be up this year compared to other presidential years,” he said. “I think students are going to come out and support Propositions 205 and 206.” 

He also said the ballot initiatives will encourage voters to cross party lines when casting ballots.

“I think this is going to cross party lines," he said. "I think that a lot of people have recognized that marijuana prohibition has not been the right route for us in a lot of ways. I’m sure they’re going to come out and support raising the minimum wage and legalizing marijuana, and we’ll see how it goes.”


Reach the reporter at angel.n.mendoza@asu.edu or follow @angelnikolas96 on Twitter.

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