Youth vote gives new meaning to silent majority

Why don’t young people vote? This is hardly a new question as disengagement from the democratic process has run rampant in the younger generation for years now. But, why is that? Shouldn’t the population that will be here longer to watch the country crumble under corrupt politicians want to have a say in who fills those offices?

So much is at stake right now: midterm elections have just recently passed, the overturning of Roe v. Wade opened up the discussion of women’s rights, politicians are making it harder for the Internal Revenue Act to halt the cheating of taxes by the elite, and so much more. To a certain extent, this can all be attributed to the lack of youth participation at the polls. Fewer than half of people ages 18-29 voted in the 2016 election, which was only slightly higher than in the election of 2020. One would think that a more defined voter bloc would actually trigger meaningful change at state and federal levels, but those voices have chosen silence.

This phenomenon is not uniquely American. Countries across the globe have been struggling with alarmingly low numbers among that younger age group. A new analysis of turnout data from 24 different countries revealed that the general population’s voting rate always exceeds the voting rate for younger people. Many young people across America continue to believe that “their vote won’t count” and “there’s no point.” In short, there is a severe lack of political efficacy among the young generations.

Many of the young voters, especially those in the age range of 18-29, are preoccupied with extracurriculars, jobs, and school. This minimizes the amount of time they have to focus on the world of politics. For those who are still seniors in high school, the pressure of college admissions and the consequential fear of getting into said college hovers constantly, which deters them from voting. 

Additionally, the biggest factor that affects the number of young people who vote, according to The New York Times, is that “voting is a habit formed over time, and one possible reason young people do it less frequently is they have had fewer opportunities to form and reinforce the habit.” 

The lack of experience in tandem with the lack of time make it harder for new voters to make a decision that’s informed and is worthy of their time.

In fact, a poll done by Harvard Kennedy School showed that 42% of the 18-29 year olds’ surveyed believed their vote would have no impact, but this is far from the truth. Although it may seem as if one vote couldn’t change a thing, that’s been disproven in the past. For one, in 2018 the Democratic Primary for Baltimore County executive was decided by only 17 votes, according to Virginia Wesleyan University. According to the same source, in 2016 a state Senate Democratic Primary in Vermont was determined by a single vote out of over 7,400. The false notion that “a single vote” won’t matter is the reason that the problems young people face are misrepresented or underrepresented throughout the United States government.

The absence of votes from the so-called “next generation of leaders of the world” heavily impacts the political landscape and poorly affects several issues experienced by young voters across the country. Still, many such voters refrain from having their voices heard in government. This lack of representation will continue to negatively impact the U.S’s so-called representative government, until the bright-eyed youth wake up and realize the power they have..

By Anika Flores and Evan Parfait

Oshkosh West Index Volume 119 Issue III

November 28 2022