When you think of Gen Z, many things might come to mind: a reliant relationship with the internet, an obsession with microtrends, influencers and embarrassingly short attention spans. However, with a biased perspective as a freshman in college, I can proudly say Gen Z doesn’t only care about Pinterest, but politics, too.
Tufts’ C.I.R.C.L.E records that Gen Z has the highest voting rates compared to other generations. So, research backs up teen and young adults’ civil participation, but why are we voting? Are we more politically educated than our elders? Has the voting process become easier and more accessible? Is voting cool (the answer is always yes)? To answer some of my questions regarding first-time voters, I looked to my peers for answers.
Silvia Bastek, a second-year at Northeastern, gave some insight into why she is voting. Bastek believes it is “powerful to be able to impact policies and changes throughout the country.” She also mentioned that this election, in particular, will directly impact various issues that she is passionate about, such as reproductive health, thus another motive to vote.
Freshman Kayla Goldman also weighed in: “I’m voting because I feel it’s important to make my opinions heard.” Goldman acknowledged that even though Massachusetts and her home state of New Jersey are not swing states, she still wants to do her part as a member of our democracy and choose leaders who will represent her.
Senior Anna Sauer also feels strongly about her right to vote. Sauer expresses that suffrage is “something women had to fight for,” and as a woman it “almost feels wrong to not use that right.” On top of that, Sauer says, “There’s a lot on the line. I care about the right to choose, our foreign policies, gun laws, student debt forgiveness, etc., so it’s important to vote based on my interest in those topics.” She also stated that not voting as a poli-sci major would be borderline sacrilegious.
Given the enthusiasm for voting among the Northeastern students I spoke with, I wondered if an easy voting process was giving way to such a politically active population.
Bastek said that her parents played a large role in her education regarding the voting process: “I am very lucky to have well-informed parents who have been eager to explain the process to me.” Bastek’s parents showed her how to easily fill out a vote-by-mail application online.
Goldman also agreed that her upbringing and environment made voting more accessible to her. Booths were set up in her high school’s library, where students could fill out a registration form.
As for the voting itself, Goldman’s parents brought her a ballot from home during Northeastern’s parents’ weekend. So, Goldman never had to look into how voting works here. But, obviously, this is not the case for everyone.
Given the nature of Northeastern’s geographically diverse student body, how are first-time voters finding resources to vote in a different state or even country?
Although being out of state for college wasn’t a deterrent for Sauer, she did mention that she was not aware of the different options for college students living out of state. Sauer added, “This information should be more well known and I can see how the confusion around the process and the effort to look into it when, as college students, we’re already juggling a million different things, can push voting down on the to-do list.”
For most students, ballots through the mail are the most straightforward option. Vote.gov breaks down the process for absentee voting. If researching on your own time feels overwhelming, there are resources and teams right on the Boston campus ready to help. Northeastern’s Community Service and Civic Engagement highlights Northeastern Votes, a group dedicated to helping other students through the voter registration process.
From what I gleaned from my conversations, most students seem to be voting; however, some are choosing not to. Those not voting gave reasons such as they “didn’t feel strongly about either candidate” or they felt their “vote didn’t matter because of the electoral college system.” These responses are typical for non-voters.
But I implore you to consider the benefits of voting if you are on the fence. Fourth-year Cam Grandy did just that. “If there wasn’t such a divide in the country right now, I probably wouldn’t vote,” she said. So, not only do the students I spoke with consider the candidates but also the political state of the country as well.
My small sample of word-on-the-street interviews on campus revealed that most students eligible to vote for the first time plan to do so. I hope this sentiment is also happening throughout the country, as we have the opportunity to play a decisive role in the election.
According to a recent Washington Post article, Gen Z, consisting of the nearly 42 million 18-to-27-year-olds who are eligible to vote, could have a “monumental impact on the election, including the deadlocked presidential contest.”
John Della Volpe, polling director at the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School, said, “Gen Z and young millennials’ heightened enthusiasm, signals a potentially decisive role for the youth vote in 2024.”
Let’s not waste this opportunity to help shape the future of our country.