We are now officially in 2022, a midterm election year, which means the familiar sound of campaigns, celebrities, and public service announcements telling us the importance of voting will soon fill our social feeds and televisions.

However, campaigns about the importance of voting are likely to be a hard sell for some segments of the population. A recent study conducted for SPN by Heart+Mind Strategies found that one-quarter (25%) of Americans do not feel voting makes a difference.

American belief in the importance of voting, by age

The number of Americans skeptical about the importance of voting jumps to 56% among those who are not currently registered to vote. Young Americans are also more skeptical, with 30% of those under 35 saying it doesn’t matter compared to only 10% of Americans over 65.

American belief in the importance of voting, by education

Americans are generally optimistic about voting, despite their view on the voting process generally. In December, we shared data showing that just 36% of registered voters have trust in the current election processes in America to produce fair and accurate results. Despite that, two-thirds (66%) of registered voters say eligible voters have an obligation to participate in the system, despite a majority lacking trust in it. The feeling of responsibility goes up with education levels.

Declining trust in institutions is a barrier to voter engagement

While optimism about voting my transcend concerns about voting processes, a bigger potential barrier to engagement may be trust in broader institutions. Trust in our governmental institutions continues to be on a downward trend. Now just one-in-four have a significant amount of trust in the President or their state government (25%, 23% respectively). Trust in Congress currently sits at 12%.

Given the level of trust Americans have in their government, the number of people who say they believe voting makes a difference seems optimistically high. Still, the current perceived importance of voting, and the faith in the impact of that voting, is not high enough to sustain the American system of self-governance over the long term. Voter registration and get-out-the vote drives, which we can expect to see a lot of in the coming months, are only part of the solution. Elected officials and government institutions must work to repair trust with the American people, to maintain their faith in the broader system.

Without restoring trust, voting drives will only set Americans up for disappointment and higher levels of disengagement in the future. This is where the Network can play a crucial role. Restoring trust starts with Americans reclaiming our right to self-governance by returning power to states and communities. By pushing back on federal overreach, and ensuring that communities and states can govern themselves, the Network can help people see the real impact of their votes by giving them more control over the decisions that affect their daily lives.