Historically, turnout among young voters has been low, especially when compared to older voters. Younger people sometimes complain and feel disillusioned with the state of their government, and according to a 2020 FiveThirtyEight and Ipsos poll, Americans aged 18 to 34 were less likely to have faith in the political system.
But young people are capable of considerable changes in politics if they voted more.
Gen Z alone was projected to account for more than 40 million of potential voters in 2024, according to Circle. This is such a significant number that even a fraction of the demographic could sway a close election.
While there are several factors as to why voter turnout among young people is low, it is important that Pierce College students recognize why they should be civically engaged and understand the impact that voting has.
According to Circle, the youth vote helped President Joe Biden’s performance in key states such as Georgia and Arizona in 2020.
Where young voters struggle to turnout in particular are local elections. Youth civic engagement is important, because local elections directly impact the area they live or the public school they attend.
Having more young voters can introduce new outlooks on issues or new ways of dealing with existing issues and ensure that young people’s voices are heard and adequately represented.
Voting can affect issues that may be important to many students such as rent control, funding for public works and who represents their congressional district.
There are multiple items on this year’s ballot that directly impact Pierce students. There are three elections for Board of Trustees seats. In addition, Proposition 2 is on the ballot, which would allow the state of California to sell a $10 billion bond to fund public schools and community colleges, $1.5 billion of which would go into community colleges, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office.
For some voters, the problem may be that all the measures on the ballot can be confusing. Students could take advantage of online voter guides to educate themselves, such as the TK CalMatters voter guide with link.
For some students who don’t vote, the issue could be accessing a voting center, but Pierce students can also take advantage of the on-campus polling place that will be set up from Nov. 2 to Nov. 5 in Building 600, according to the Communications Office.
While youth voter turnout has been low for decades, and it may be that voting is a habit that is developed over time, according to the New York Times, it is important for people to vote as soon as they are eligible, especially considering how much power they can have and what rights and protections may be threatened.