Following protests, young people lose interest in voting.
Last year's protests reinforced youth disillusionment with politics and politicians; the rate of 16- to 18-year-olds registered to vote in this year's elections fell to 26%, compared to rates between 36% and 37% in the last three presidential elections; according to an Ibope poll, the rate of 18- to 24-year-olds who intend to annul their vote or vote blank is 17%, compared to a rate of 10% in 2010; in the last presidential election, 440 young people aged 16 to 18, whose vote is optional, failed to go to the polls.
247 - The rate of young people aged 16 to 18 who registered to vote in this year's elections has suffered a considerable drop compared to the last three presidential elections. A cross-referencing of population growth data and voter registration data from the Electoral Court shows that only 26% of adolescents eligible for optional voting registered, approximately 760 young people. In the 2002, 2006, and 2010 elections, this rate fluctuated between 36% and 37%. In the last three municipal elections, registration rates were around 43%.
The phenomenon occurred right after the popular demonstrations of the middle of last year and highlighted the disillusionment of young people with politics and politicians. The Free Fare Movement itself, which organized the protests, has been working in public schools to make young people aware that change doesn't happen in a day or every two or four years, but must be part of a constant process.
Another indicator of young people's distrust of the political model is an Ibope poll showing that 17% of young people between 18 and 24 years old intend to annul their vote or cast a blank vote. In 2010, this rate was 10%. Also in 2010, approximately 440 teenagers with voter registration cards did not go to the polls.