More young people register<br/> to vote in county
A group that collects data on voter registration trends released numbers showing an increase in young people registering to vote in Pennsylvania, and the firm's Butler County figures match the state's trend.
TargetSmart released seven months of nationwide data using the Feb. 14 Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla., as a center point. Young people appear to be registering to vote in greater numbers, the organization posits.
A report on the group's findings written by its CEO, Tom Bonier, pointed out Pennsylvania's results, saying the Keystone state “saw youth voter registration surge by over 16 points after February 14, jumping from 45.2 percent to 61.4 percent of new registrants.”
TargetSmart provided county-specific data to the Eagle.
Butler County had 580 people register to vote in the time preceding the shooting and 836 people register in the period after the shooting.
There are 126,151 registered voters in Butler County, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State.
People ages 18 to 29 made up 46 percent of those new registrants before the shooting, but 69 percent after, according to TargetSmart. Older age groups saw shrinking shares of new voters in Butler County after the tragedy.
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