*This article was originally published in the November 20 print issue of The Roosevelt News. Due to an unexpected error, the full contents were not printed in that issue, so the article, in its entirety, is below.
Outlets everywhere are pouring out the latest news from the midterms. The Democrats took the majority in the House of Representatives, while the Republicans maintained their control of the Senate.
Many ad campaigns have targeted the audience of young voters, particularly those aged 18-25. An ad went viral featuring TV personality and youth activist, Yara Shahidi, whose message in the video was strongly encouraging young people to vote. The activists from the Parkland school have also been greatly active this year, spreading awareness on gun policies and their concerns with the polarizing atmosphere of the Trump administration. An article from US News stated that teens “…who said they planned to vote cited school shootings as a top concern. In addition, 40 percent said the Parkland shooting has influenced their political engagement and 39 percent cited the Trump administration,” Other celebrities such as Taylor Swift have found their voice just in time for the midterms, encouraging their followers to vote and get to the polls on election day or vote early. These issues and ad campaigns seemed to have been somewhat successful because youth turnout was 31% in this election, up from the low twenties in 1994-2014. A survey in Time Magazine “…found that young voters account for more than 60% of new registrants in Pennsylvania.” and that “Among 18-24 year olds who have been contacted multiple times about voting, more than 80% say they’re either “extremely” or “very” likely to vote.”
Vivian Liu, a senior at Roosevelt, shared her opinion on the midterms. Although she is not yet 18, she encouraged seniors to get out to the polls, “They should be voting. It’s coming up really soon and if they can vote they should be looking into who to vote for and stuff like that.” Even though she is unable to cast her vote this year, she has been active in attempting to get her fellow students to vote, ”I’ve been asking people like ‘oh can you vote’ or ‘have you registered to vote,’” adding that, “If you can you should.”
The upcoming generation of millenials who can now vote are already making waves. The PEW Research Center is cited in saying, “Millennials are on the cusp of surpassing Baby Boomers as the nation’s largest living adult generation, according to population projections from the U.S. Census Bureau,” This is reason for the many ads targeted at young people specifically due to their powerful impact. Scout Smissen, a senior, found this encouraging and empowering. Smissen has been very politically active in and out of of school, especially for the midterms. During lunchtime, she can be seen walking around the commons asking students if they have registered to vote and even brought in a youth organization called Washington Bus, which helps to convince young people to vote. Smissen has used her ASR position to give voice to all students and motivating them to use their own. Although Smissen is not yet old enough to vote this year, a fact she is very dismayed by, she has not been deterred from convincing other young people to vote if they are able. A friend of Smissen’s, Bridget Austin, voted this year in the midterms and shared why she found it so important to vote in this election. “I think our votes count a lot being young and I think it’s a whole new wave of people coming in to vote that think differently than a lot of the other voters so having me vote really empowers our generation,” said Austin, 18.
Smissen shared how important she found the midterms to be this year, “I think this year out of ten, it’s fifteen in importance.” Her final message has been loud and clear this year: “Even if you aren’t necessarily a political person, I guarantee that there’s something you’re passionate about that is going to be taken away or affected by you not voting.”
Young people should take this important time in political history to continue to educate themselves and others. The young generation holds the power to change the future with their votes.
Graphic by Sadie Favour
