This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Nine months after a school shooting in Florida sparked a series of nationwide protests, there are signs that Tuesday’s election could bring a substantial jump in youth voter participation, as the National Rifle Association’s election spending has dropped dramatically.

Student survivors of the February shooting in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 students and teachers dead, have spent months visiting districts across the country with a simple message: “Vote for our lives.”

The Parkland students and their high school allies across the country have attempted to make the midterm elections a referendum on Congress and its refusal to pass stricter gun control laws. By increasing youth participation, they argue, young people can vote out the Republican politicians who have blocked any additional gun control laws at the federal level for nearly a quarter century, even as mass shootings have grown more frequent and more deadly.

National School Walkout (@schoolwalkoutUS) In April, we hosted more than 2,000 walkouts across the nation to protest inaction on gun violence. Tomorrow we prove we’re just getting started. pic.twitter.com/MWtlnQePWQ

A coalition of youth groups is organizing a national high school “Walkout to Vote” at 10am on Tuesday morning, with at least 500 schools expected to participate, according to Katie Eder, one of the event’s organizers.

“Tomorrow, if you haven’t already voted, is your chance to be a hero for yourself and everyone you love,” Emma Gonzalez said.

Parkland students target midterms with summer gun control road trip Read more

The 18-year-old Parkland student, who became an international icon for her passionate speeches against the National Rifle Association and government inaction on gun violence, was speaking at a small press conference in Florida’s capital on Monday.

“Gun violence is on the ballot. Our lives are in the hands of the people we elect. Vote in every election like it’s your last, because it very well could be,” Gonzalez said.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Student volunteers help out at a booth during a ‘Vote for our lives’ event at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. Photograph: John Raoux/AP

Midterm elections typically bring out only a very small proportion of young voters. In 2014, only 19.9% of voters ages 18 through 29 cast a ballot, according to estimates from Circle, a Tufts University center that studies youth civic engagement.

“We’re seeing many signs and signals that this is a very different midterm election when it comes to youth engagement,” said Abby Kiesa, the director of impact at Circle.

Among the signs: higher than usual levels of youth voter registration, even early this summer; high numbers of early vote ballots cast; and a survey that showed that 34% of youth ages 18 through 24 said say they are “extremely likely” to vote.

The National Rifle Association is pouring money into a handful of Senate races, but its overall spending has dropped dramatically compared with 2014. NRA spending so far is just under $10m to support pro-gun candidates, compared with more than $25m in 2014, according to federal election data compiled by the Trace, a not-for-profit news site focused on gun violence.