Students are grappling with an age-old condition: voter apathy.
According to the Brookings Institute, Americans aged 65 and older vote more than young people at a rate of three to one in recent elections.
USC political science professor Douglas Becker unpacks the cyclical nature of youth voter disaffection.
Douglas Becker: It’s a terrible cycle. Young people don’t vote anywhere near as high of a level as older people. Their issues aren’t being talked about, so then they pay attention less and less and less.
So what are the issues that young people feel don’t get enough attention? Junior economics student Keri Carter shared some of the issues that are important to her.
Keri Carter: Police brutality, environment, cost of things, cost of living...
Young people, aged 18-24, make up around one tenth of voters, unlike senior voters who account for more than half.
Junior pharmacology student Benjamin Katz says he hasn’t voted before, but that he is ready to vote in this election. Katz says he’s not excited to vote, but he better understands the implications of young people’s disengagement and doesn’t want to be part of the problem.
Benjamin Katz: It’s a very important election, I think a lot of changes are happening that could lead to terrible consequences so I believe it’s important to vote.
Becker: Why are young people disaffected? My initial reaction is: why is nobody giving them a reason to get excited to vote?
There are many organizations that provide information and resources to young people to get more involved in the political process. It’s as simple as a Google Search to find organizations like California Student Vote that streamline the process to register to vote. So get out to the polls and make sure your voice gets heard.
For Annenberg Media, I’m Ari Rose-Marquez