Dissatisfaction over politics won’t cause youths to not turn out
DuBose ’24 – (Eliza DuBose, graduate of American University with a degree interdisciplinary degree in Communication, Language, and Culture with a concentration in Journalism and German, The Durango Herald, “Youths could swing the election. Will they turn out to vote?,” April 22, 2023, https://www.durangoherald.com/articles/youths-could-swing-the-election-will-they-turn-out-to-vote/)//DDeng
As the 2024 presidential election looms, concerns over youth voter turnout is quickly becoming a sweeping concern among politico pundits.
Just 49% of young Americans ages 18-29 plan to vote in the 2024 presidential election compared to the 57% who planned to vote in the last election, according to the Harvard Institute youth poll.
“I think it is fair to say that younger voters may feel apathetic about the political situation,” said Wyatt Briar, a student and vice president of the Political Engagement Project at Fort Lewis College. “And I think that's rightly justified. As a generation, we face a lot of critical existential issues that aren't being addressed by a lot of partisan gridlock in Washington.”
The dissatisfaction over partisan politics is not necessarily turning into political inaction, however, according to students and experts interviewed for this story. Rather, it is turning the focus away from Washington and to the legislative halls closer to home.
“Yes, the presidential election is really critical, but let's go into the full ballot,” said Paul DeBell, a professor of political science at Fort Lewis College. “Let's talk about our ballot initiatives. Let's talk about our county commissioners, let's talk about our DA.”
Despite the overall sense of dissatisfaction with politics among young people, they are undeniably involved voters. In 2020, with the highest voter turnout in the 21st century, 51% of people ages 18-24 voted, one of the highest youth turnouts for generations. That was still far fewer compared to the 76% of voters 65 and older. In the 2022 midterm elections, youth turnout fell to 23%.