Why the Election Lies in Youth Voters’ Hands
Elizabeth Bennett, Staff Writer
Environmental activist rally in mid-2019
There is no denying that President Trump is a plague to our democracy and institutions. Oh, and human lives. If you knew that Trump was going to take away your right to an abortion, would you vote? If you knew that Trump was going to strip away your right to remain on your parents’ healthcare longer, would you vote? We cannot allow four more years of destruction of the Earth, protection of only the rich, and extinction of empathy and decency. “What Trump does now really affects the younger generations’ lives. 70+ year olds are not representing what we need,”said one college voter. With climate change becoming increasingly pressing and the socioeconomic impacts of the pandemic still raging, this November election affects younger generations the most. In this election, millennial and Generation Z voters are roughly equal in size to the Baby Boomer and Pre-Baby Boomer generations, making up 37% of eligible voters. This means that young people have as much of a say as the older generations, who historically vote further to the right and aided Donald Trump's succession to power. Although this is only a slight increase from the 2012 election, the success of the Democratic Party this November will largely fall into the hands of young voters. Voters over 50 years old—an age group that historically turns out in higher numbers than any other age group—considerably favor Trump. The 37% of Generation Z and millennials who are eligible to vote must show up at the polls and practice what they preach if young people want to see a change in leadership.
However, the crux of the issue lies in why the youth vote is so crucial in this election. Young voters are increasingly disillusioned with the U.S. government. Much of their life has been characterized by divisiveness on both sides of the aisle, with reconciliation seeming nearly impossible. Young BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, or People of Color) are living, first-hand, the unfortunate and ugly truth that our system does not work for everyone, leaving BIPOC needs unattended. The millions of young people who lack sufficient healthcare are left high and dry. It’s no surprise so many of us feel fatigued and confused as to who our political system really works for. As a college student, I feel as though young people are disillusioned with our political institutions for two primary reasons: politicians have refused to meet them where they are (which is typically further left than the establishment would prefer), and politicians have continued to remain elusive to the people they were elected to help, instead focusing on fundraising and political games.
To understand why young voters are so critical, it is important to look at voting trends. Historically, the turnout of eligible voters over 50 is much higher than all younger age groups. Because older, mainly white people tend to vote Republican, the opposition needs to gain support from other racial groups and ages—and they need to vote in elections. According to the Pew Research Center, the Democratic Party credits young voters for the majority of their support in the elections of 2004, 2006, and 2008. Just since 2004, voters under 30 have become 8 points more likely to identify with the Democrat ideology, with a 9 point decrease in identification with Republican ideology. While young voters still remain essential to the Democratic Party, it is important to note how young voter participation has decreased dramatically over time: in 1964, people between the ages of 18 and 24 made up 50.9% of the voting bloc, while in 2012, they made up only 38%.
Further, minority groups played an instrumental role in electing Barack Obama to the presidency in 2008 and 2012. Biden is hoping that Black voters will turn up at the polls because of their unmatched favor of Obama in 2008, with 93% of the Black vote. In the 2016 election, the turnout of Black citizens decreased at a staggering 7.1% as compared to just four years prior. In the wake of the youth-organized Black Lives Matter movement and the blatant racism of the Trump administration, will the Black voter turnout replicate what it was in 2008? This election boasts a more diverse electorate than ever before. The Black and Latinx voting bloc leans heavily in favor of the left, while the Asian American vote leans slightly less so. With the increased number of young, BIPOC voters, the votes of these communities are even more significant.
The Black Lives Matter movement cannot be ignored when discussing BIPOC voting. According to the New York Times, while Black people hold a variety of political opinions, they agree on one particular issue: racial equality. The Trump era has normalized the phrase “All Lives Matter,” with many people refusing to admit the simple fact that Black lives do matter. Comparatively, if a house was burning, declaring “all houses matter” completely ignores that the burning house would need more attention at that specific moment. With President Trump clearly incapable of even uttering the phrase “Black Lives Matter,” many Black citizens are sure of the fact that under this presidency, they have no guarantee of safety or wellbeing. There is no clearer example of this shortcoming than when Trump failed to condemn white supremacy at the first presidential debate of the year. In this election, we might see a voter turnout that reflects Trump’s apparent disregard for racial equality. Notably, all this amounts to the gravity of young, racial minorities showing up at the polls.
One critical reason why young people are cynical about the U.S. political system is because the moderacy of the candidates is unappealing to them. One Cal sophomore’s frustration with the Democratic establishment is clear: “We [the Democrats] want young people to be political, but only in a specific way.” In this election, Democrats are aiming to get moderate Republicans to vote for Biden, but this necessitates stances that cast a wide net. While a Biden win will rely heavily on the youth vote, many are discontent with the campaign's insistence on catering to the moderate vote instead. Many young voters—like Margaux, a freshman at Cal—are willing to get involved in campaigns and are passionate about the work being done on climate change, the expansion of healthcare, and women’s rights, to name a few. Even so, when their options are to vote for the Republican candidate or the moderate Democrat, frustrations arise. Many young progressives stand far more to the left than the liberals of older generations. Young voters do not want a candidate who is going to be mediocre and effect slight change—they want someone who is willing to work to create monumental, lasting change. The problem is that the two-party system instills a deep divide, so it’s an “us versus them” situation between two groups—picking a side is the only option. An interviewee who would like to remain anonymous mentions that when a party is more moderate and enact half the change young voters want to see, they will be frustrated and often not show up at the polls.
Another reason why politicians are not successfully arousing support from young people is because they believe that politicians are more focused on winning elections and fundraising than improving the lives of the people. Margaux voices her opinion on this matter: “The fact that congress people spend more time a day calling people for money (6-8 hours a day) instead of legislating is ridiculous. Young people don’t have very deep pockets so it’s easy to feel like true change in institutions can be affected.” At the same time, the media and politicians hypocritically complain about corporate contributions and big money donors in politics, leading young voters to feel as though their voices don't hold much power. Thus, young voices are less likely to be heard because the progressive, grass-roots candidates they do support often do not have the funds to continue very far into an election—with one notable exception: Bernie Sanders, with over half of his donations under $100.
On the other hand, young people feel blamed for the trajectory of United States’ politics. Both of the interviewees are angry with how the blame has been distributed. They are blamed for not being educated enough and not electing a more progressive candidate. Margaux explains how the blame is misplaced because compulsory education does not teach enough about the importance of civic responsibility and different political issues. Moreover, at most schools, humanities classes are not required, thus yielding a populace that is not uniformly informed about the importance of a strong civil society. Margaux justifies her opinion by saying, “If part of compulsory education involves creating informed, functioning members of society, civics classes must be included in education.” This opinion is not rare—many people think that politics needs to be integrated into primary and secondary education, producing civic-minded people from a young age.
November 3, Election Day, is treated as just another day of the year, with school and work continuing like business as usual. The fact that Election Day is not a noninstructional holiday is a fundamental issue that is inextricably linked to low voter turnout among students. “Students shouldn’t have to choose between participating in their class or participating in the most important election of our lives,” Elizabeth Grubb, Cal Democrats’ president remarks. Elizabeth has been working with ASUC Vote Coalition to make Election Day a noninstructional holiday in the UC system. The pandemic has displaced a number of students, who now found themselves in living arrangements they did not foresee. There will also undoubtedly be longer wait times at the polls given public health standards—but students often have very limited time between classes during a school day. At UC Berkeley, students only have 10 minutes before a required class, and they may leave the line out of fear of their grades suffering.
Elizabeth is fervently fighting for the UC system to listen to students’ needs. It seems hypocritical that Cal prides itself on being a politically active campus, but won’t listen to students that desperately want to vote and cannot because of a class conflict. UC Berkeley is not prioritizing the civic engagement of its students; I believe Cal needs to stop dragging its heels and advocate for the "Free Speech" they pride themselves for.
Simply put, the current state of affairs amounts to fatigue, confusion, and dissatisfaction. Young people have witnessed the government ignore the needs and cast out the marginalized American citizens that often are the essential workers upon which the United States is built. During the pandemic, this has become the center of attention—essential workers are often the lowest paid, least likely to have sufficient health care, and most susceptible to the wrath of diseases and economic downturns. Notably, agriculture workers, mail deliverers, and grocery workers are more likely to be people of color. People have been praising essential workers for their invaluable work, but the government fails to provide them with essential tools necessary to live a healthy life.
Social media will have an immeasurable impact on this election.Young people are mobilizing like never before through Instagram and Tik Tok, speaking out against racism and classism. They’re stressing the importance of registering to vote and making informed decisions. Every single day, I see at least 20 posts about checking registration or advocating for an issue—granted, most of my social circles are politically active, Berkeley students. Whether that form of political action will yield more votes, we will see this November.
Of the young eligible voters, most have lived through 9/11 and anti-Islam sentiment, the election of Barack Obama and the outward racism that this country fails to deal with, and the ever more divisive Trump era with its lack of respect for U.S. political institutions. With this as their perspective on American politics, the young voter bloc will have to look beyond all the negativity and see political participation as obligatory.
This political system does not work for everyone. Plain and simple. We see that in voter suppression. We see that with the number of females and minorities in government positions. When discussing women in positions of power, one interviewee said that “the entirety of women’s rights depend on whether Mitch McConnell is going to feel nice enough to not replace RBG...it’s ridiculous.” We see the political system fail when lower-income folks refuse to go to the hospital because they can’t afford the astronomical costs of healthcare. Young people are seeing this and thinking, how could my vote make any lasting, positive impact? A new administration will just come into office and repeal the work the previous president achieved. Then they don’t vote. And the cycle repeats itself.
This election must be different. It is understandable that young people are fatigued with the push and pull of politics; however, if they want to see any positive change, the youth must vote. This election will shape the future of our Earth’s ability to inhabit 8 billion people, the response to COVID going forth, and the racism that invades our schools, workplaces, and prisons. Now is not the time to be apathetic, because human lives are at stake. Four more years with Donald Trump—who knows what could happen.