Youth Enfranchisement: Political Engagement and Peer Effects

It has been shown that politicians change laws and policies to cater to new voting groups, but it hasn’t been studied if this a response to an increase in political engagement by the newly enfranchised group. We propose an RCT with 3 treatment arms in schools in Brazil to study the effects of enfranchisement and information on political engagement. Students between 16 and 18 years old have the possibility (but not the obligation) to register to vote. We will provide different treatments that aim to increase the probability of registering and the look at political behavior outcomes.