Youth voters are critical to both parties

The youth vote could be critical to both political parties in the upcoming presidential election.

In a close election, votes from young adults will be important, according to Valley political experts. Their support and votes won two presidential elections for Barack Obama and the 2020 election for Joe Biden.

Biden won 61 percent of voters between the ages of 18 and 29 in 2020, according to AP VoteCast, making young voters a critical part of his coalition. However, his approval ratings within that age group now stand at 29 percent compared to 40 percent overall, according to a new AP-NORC poll.

“For the most part, young people are concerned about the same things that everyone else is, namely, the economy, prices, and economic security,” said Chris Ellis, Bucknell professor of political science. “The specific nature of the concerns might be different than those of older voters — they’re concerned about how they are going to afford their first home, or whether they will have the job security that their parents did, and things like that. But these concerns trump all others for the youth voters that are up for grabs in the election.”