Why The Youth Aren't Voting

By Alyssa Manfredi

Younger generations that are finally eligible to vote this year are not running to the polls.

One study by the Public Religion Research Institute found only 28 percent of young adults said they would vote in the 2018 election compared to 74 percent of seniors.

So, why are so many young people not voting?

Christopher Carson, 18, will refrain from voting because he does not have enough information about who to vote for or what they are advocating for.

“I don’t have time to figure out which person is the least idiotic nor the motivation so I’m good,” said Carson.

However, taking time to get educated on who is running for office is a click away thanks to the internet.

Ballotopedia.com allows citizens to type in their zip code and lets them see who they are eligible to vote for. It also has statistics on all the people running, including presidential endorsements, views on policies, and corruption charges.

Informative political websites like Isidewith.com let users take a free quiz to see who aligns with their political beliefs.

Charissa Hong, 18, admits she does not know much about the election, but is excited to cast her first ballot.

“It’s super important to vote. Every vote counts and it’s our job as a community to vote,” said Hong.

According to the U.S. Census,18-24-year-olds make up 10 percent of the population.

Rachel Garland, 18, is going to college at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, and is voting by mail absentee ballot.

“It’s extremely important to vote in this—and every—election,” said Garland.

Kathleen Roughgarden of Wyckoff, NJ, will be voting in person on her campus at Rutgers University.

“Everyone’s voice matters no matter what,” said Roughgarden.

Organizations are targeting millennials and Generation Z on social media and TV to encourage them to vote with public service announcements.

One popular public service announcement uses reverse psychology to get young voters excited. It employs elderly “Trump Supporters” telling young people to not vote.

“Climate change? That’s a you problem,” said one woman in the public service announcement.

Jennifer Magaletta is a member of the Board of Education in Hoboken, New Jersey.

“I think that young people should vote because they’re being impacted by all of these decisions.  If you’re not voting, other people are just asking these decisions for you!” said Magaletta.

Gabby Pisacane, 18, will be voting for the first time in November.

“The fact of the matter is that young people are the ones most affected by the officials elected and have the most accessibility to information,” Pisacane said. “It’s so important to educate ourselves and vote on who we want to make decisions on our behalf.”