The Increasing Influence Young People Have Over Elections

 By Jeorgia Jahumpa

Young people are voting now more than in recent decades, recent studies say.

According to a study conducted by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School, 36% of young Americans are more politically active than they were a decade ago.

Another study released by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) states says that young people made a key difference in the 2020 election with 52-55% of eligible voters being 18–29-year-olds in 2020 compared to 42-44% in 2016.

The reason for such a large turnout, according to Stonehill College Political Science professor Dr. Anwar Mhajne is due to the pandemic and the demand for social justice in the United States.

“COVID-19 create an environment that allowed people to get more informed about what was happening. So, everyone was interested news and updates about the pandemic, but also started following the news more closely,” Dr. Mhajne said.

Mhajne also said that in past elections, the turnout for young people was significantly lower with 70% of voters consisting of people 60 and up, which is three times the rate of voters 18-19 years old. The spike in young voters is also due to more young, educated people of color voting during recent elections.

While the studies prove that more young people are voting, students are conflicted on this idea. One Stonehill student, Grace Duncan, says young people heavily contribute to elections. 

“Most kids our age wants to hold government officials to a higher standard and hope to see change from them,” Duncan said.

However, other students, like Lianza Stephens, say the opposite is true.

“We understand how society and other people work, but when we see society functions, we realize how bad it is and how sometimes our voices don’t even matter,” Stephens said.

Stonehill students contribute to these numbers as they plan on submitting their absentee ballots for the upcoming local elections. 

They say that it is easier for them to do so, as it is difficult to vote in person while in college. Sophia Owens, who has voted in every local and national election since she was 16 years old, said she also plans on submitting an absentee ballot for the upcoming local elections. However, she said recognizes the importance of voting.

“It is vital that young people vote. The policies that are made affect us and our lives in the long-term. Our voices are just as important, if not more, than others who have consistent voting records,” Owens said.

Even unregistered young voters know the importance of voting. Soraya Masse is not a registered voter and does not plan to vote during local elections. Regardless, she still says that it is important for young people to vote and encourages other students to vote during the election season.

“It’s important to take part of the decisions that affect your future, but thus far, since we just got the opportunity to vote, the people before us didn’t do much to change the situation. It’s not too late to change it now but at this point we don’t have a lot of options so we’re voting for the lesser evil,” Masse said.