Generation Z Might Be This Year’s Biggest Advantage in the 2020 Election
By: Emma Saunders
Tags: Biden Harris, Election 2020, Young Voters, Biden Vs Trump, 2020 Presidential Race

Why some are staying out of the 2020 election while others believe this is the most important one of their generation.

By: Emma Saunders

As election day nears and the American people continue to vote by mail or by waiting in line at the polls, the decision of whether to vote still weighs on the minds of young eligible voters.

According to the Pew Research Center, 1 in 10 eligible voters are Generation Z — 4% more than in 2016 — and Generation Z is also expected to be the most racially diverse population, being almost half racial or ethnic minorities. Less than 4 in 10 eligible voters will be Baby Boomers and older, a significant difference from 20 years ago when the older generation made up almost 70% of voters.

“It’s a privilege to be able to vote,” said Gigi Firmstone, a first-time voter at Florida Atlantic University. “If you can vote, you should because many people aren’t able to. Our lives literally depend on it.”

Like many other college students, Firmstone believes that people should be voting for the future, and there are many issues depending on this election that need to see change.

Although the percentage of young eligible voters is significant compared to past elections, the actual turnout may be less than expected as many of them choose not to vote.

According to FiveThirtyEight, nearly half of voters between the ages of 26 and 34 rarely cast a ballot.

But why are these voters — whose livelihood depends on the changes made in office — choosing to stay out of the election?

There are many reasons that people choose not to vote. For some, specifically 15%, it’s the hassle of waiting in line for hours on end. For others, they experienced various obstacles, including not having the time to vote, not being able to find a polling place, or not registering to vote in time for election day.

Many Americans also feel indifferent toward both candidates, causing them to not want to cast a vote toward either one. The distrust in the political system is a major cause of lack of voter turnout.

According to FiveThirtyEight, around 30% of non-voters made the choice because they did not approve of either candidate.

Whether it is lack of education, or lack of exposure to politics, many young voters believe that their vote will either not make a difference, or that the political parties are equally ill-equipped for the job.

“No good outcomes will come from either of them,” said one voter, Karina Aseyev, who is 18-years-old and experiencing her first election.

Although she is the first U.S. citizen in her family, Aseyev believes that both candidates will wreak havoc, and that neither deserve her support. Along with many other new voters, Aseyev believes that regardless of who gets elected president, what happens in the White House will not change significantly.

The electoral college also plays an important role in this belief, due to the thought that votes do not matter in the end, as seen in the 2016 election when the Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, but President Trump was elected anyway.

FiveThirtyEight featured an interview with one Tennessee voter. He is on the fence in the 2020 election due to the unfairness of the democracy.

“Every vote should count,” said Fletcher. “The way our electoral system operates now, it’s just not true. My vote in Tennessee does not count.”

Along with many other voters, he believes that because he is in a red state, his vote will not matter. Which may hold true when the electoral college comes into play.

However, although many people don’t believe their vote will count, this year there is projected to be record turnout. The population of people found to “sometimes vote” are likely to be casting their ballots in 2020 more than any other election year.

“According to our survey, 82 percent of these voters are following the 2020 election somewhat or very closely, and 93 percent are planning to vote in 2020,” said FiveThirtyEight.

On the contrary to those who are choosing not to vote, this year there happens to be many people on the other side of that belief who think that this is the most important election to participate in.

Why is this 2020 more important to young voters than any other election year?

For many young voters, it is their first time participating in an election. Due to the immeasurable differences between candidates, some believe that if something is not done, irreversible change will take effect post-election.

Gigi Firmstone, one of these voters, has given her full support to Biden without hesitation. one issue that is important to her is climate change.

“If we don’t vote for a candidate who supports climate change, we won’t have anything to vote for because there won’t be a planet to live on,” Firmstone said. “We need a president who cares about something bigger than himself, and that is Joe Biden.”

Since Generation Z — which includes college students — makes up such a large population of voters, it might just be enough to raise voter turnout to an all-time high.

According to a report by the Knight Foundation, about 71% of college students say they will absolutely be voting in 2020.

Many of these students are new to the polls, and are motivated by the excitement of using their voice for the first time. As far as party affiliation, 70% of students favor Biden, and of those, 80% say they will certainly be voting.

The biggest takeaway from the attitudes of college students is their suspicion of legitimacy

of the election, nearly half of them questioning its fairness. Most them, however, believe that this election will be a turning point which will determine the outcome of countless life changing issues.

The 2020 polls are predicted to be comprised of a new population of young people craving change for the future.

Post-Election Day results: Are young voters the reason for Biden’s victory?

On November 7th, Joe Biden was elected the 46th president of the United States alongside his VP Kamala Harris, leaving many overjoyed as their prayers for change were answered. Others were not so pleased with the final verdict, but election day excitement aside, the results of young voter turnout may have been the reason for Biden’s victory.

According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, 61% of voters ages 18–29 favored Biden. Especially in key battleground states like Michigan, Georgia, Arizona, and Pennsylvania, the engagement of young voters may have swung the election in his favor. When the race was called, Biden lead Pennsylvania by about 35,000 votes, and he received over 154,000 more youth votes than Trump in the state.

His victory was not only thanks to young voters, but people of color as well. In fact, 87% of young Black voters favored Biden over Trump.

“Young voters preferred Joe Biden to Donald Trump in 32 of the 39 states for which we have data so far, in most cases by strong, double-digit margins,” said CIRCLE.