“It’s your job to fix the mess that we have created,” Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Wayne Walters told students at a youth voting event in Oakland on March 15. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource)
High school and college-age voters in Allegheny County say they are frustrated, unenthused and even scared of the political situation in the country as the primary election looms.
by Charlie Wolfson, PublicSource
The 2024 presidential election is shaping up as a repeat, but some voters are experiencing it for the first time. Thousands of young people are aging into the voter rolls this year, arriving to a political and societal landscape that has even seasoned voters scratching their heads.
“Horrible,” said Nora Zangana, a senior at Pittsburgh Sci-Tech, to describe how she feels about voting this year for the first time. “I’m scared. I don’t know what’s happening.”
While gaining the right to vote can inspire, some teenage voters are put off by the state of current events in America and the world. With the presidential election likely to come down to a few states decided by narrow margins, the contest between two elderly candidates could be defined by how many young voters go to the polls — and how many stay home.
“Seeing what’s happening in the world leaves a mark and it drains the passion,” said Ismael Manrique, another Sci-Tech senior who is newly eligible to cast a vote.
A rematch at the top of the ticket between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump could contribute to a dulled youth vote this year, said Jennie Sweet-Cushman, a political science professor at Chatham University.
“The fact that they’re now looking at a rematch between two candidates that do not excite them has them very tuned out,” Sweet-Cushman said. “They don’t feel like there’s something here for them.”
Manrique said it’s rare to hear talk about voting and elections at school. “Talking about voting is not a thing with this generation.”
Youth registration anemic
Turnout among eligible voters aged 18 to 29 has historically been below the average compared to other age groups, but it has increased sharply since the 2016 election. The cohort turned out at 50% in 2020, according to a Tufts University research center, largely backing Biden and contributing to his narrow victories in several swing states. That participation rate was up 11 points from 39% in 2016.
In Pennsylvania, turnout among 18-to-29 year-olds was 54% in 2020, higher than all but just 10 other states.
A voter registration analysis by The Civics Center suggests spotty interest so far among the newest eligible voters. Just 29% of Allegheny County 18-year-olds were registered to vote at the end of December. In some school districts the rate was under 15%.
“They’re all very aware of what’s happening, but how motivated they will be to get out to vote, I will be curious to see,” said Michele Halloran, an AP government teacher at Allderdice High School, in Squirrel Hill South. Halloran, who has been teaching for 16 years, said there is a distinctly different energy this year compared to 2008, when “everybody seemed to be excited.”
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