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Young Voters are speaking
out in huge numbers, but as
a highly contentious, voter
turnout-dependent midterm
election inches closer, there’s
a serious question of whether
these young voters will come
to the polls.
A recently released poll
from the Public Religion Research
Institute and the Atlantic, conducted in June showed only
28 percent of young adults ages 18 to 29 say they are “absolutely
certain” they’ll vote in midterms, compared to 74 percent of seniors.
In a year when issues like gun violence is on the minds of most
young voters, the possibility that this will be the “Season of Change”
is looking more and more possible.
Of course, this is only one poll. There are other surveys with varied
results; a recent poll conducted by the Associated Press and
University of Chicago’s NORC found that 32 percent of young voters
would certainly vote and 56 percent were likely to. Another poll by
Cosmopolitan magazine and SurveyMonkey found that 48 percent
of young voters were “absolutely certain” they’d vote in the midterms.
And it’s actually a big improvement compared to past midterms.
In the 2014 midterms, only 23 percent of young voters participated,
according to the census, which considers young voters as aged 18
to 34.
Millennials are one of the most diverse generations when it comes
to racial and ethnic backgrounds. Due to the increase in diversification
and globalization across the country, the Democratic Party has
pushed themselves as the party of social and racial justice.
Many millennials and younger voters did show up to vote in primaries
on Aug. 7 but their impact may not be experienced fully until the
general election in November when both major political parties have
chosen their candidates.
With the way political primaries are set up, younger voters believe
their impact on election results, and willingness to vote for specific
candidates, comes down to the issues themselves and how candidates
stand on those issues, rather than voting for a specific party.
Nationally, more than 10 million registered voters age 18 to 44 did
not vote in 2016. About 24 percent of them cited “did not like candidates
or campaign issues” as their reasons for not voting.
Historically, Millennials have favored the Democratic Party. But
more and more are beginning to vote Republican, according to a recent
Reuters/Ipsos national opinion poll. The online survey of more
than 16,000 registered voters ages 18 to 34 shows their support for
Democrats over Republicans for Congress slipped by about nine
percentage points over the past two years, to 46 percent overall.
One thing is for certain, there are pressing issues that affect the
18-24 voting block. It would definitely behoove young voters to start
doing their research now and make sure they are registered. This is
the beginning of their adult lives. Their opinions matter and they will
definitely make a difference in the years to come.