October 2, 2024
With November’s presidential election right around the corner, many college-age students of Generation Z are facing the reality and stress of contributing their votes to the nation.
This election in particular has been extremely contested. From President Biden dropping out of the race, the shooting at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania, Kamala Harris stepping in for the Democratic party, third-party candidates dropping in and out of the race to endorsements coming in constantly for the current nominees, this has been a highly active election cycle.
For a large portion of Generation Z, this is the first presidential election in which they are eligible to vote.
With this newfound engagement and concern for the American public, Gen Z has a variety of opinions on the election.
Above all the political activity, Gen Z has begun to shift away from the ‘norm’ with many major news outlets projecting the election's fate to be in the hands of younger generations.
“I know that our age group is starting not to follow political parties and partisan ideology, which I think is interesting and very telling about our generation's idea of individuality,” said senior college student Kiki McAllister.
Major global events such as the Israel-Hamas War, Ukraine, and even the recent European Union Parliament election have garnered the attention of young voters hoping to make a difference.
The downside of this election, however, comes from the activity itself, which has left many feeling lost and uncertain. The constant flow of news and information has led to feelings of fatigue and stress.
“It’s been so crazy, I’ve lost motivation to even stay up to date with what’s going on. Now I’m feeling uneducated and unprepared. I just wish there was more I could do than vote,” said a sophomore college student.
Even new voters who were excited about casting their vote have found the changes and unknowns of this election to put their activism to a halt.
“I’ve tried to stay as objective as possible with this election. I was really hoping for a third-party candidate to last a bit longer in this race, but I was disappointed with how that worked out. Now, with certain endorsements for Trump and Harris, I feel like I'm just settling now, which is a feeling I hate” said Jonah Miller, a freshman college student.
Some students are unsure of what to think at all.
“I don’t even want to vote,” said McKenna Holz, a college senior.
Arguably, now more so than ever, our nation is extremely divided on the political spectrum. Digital media, propaganda and even certain news outlets are to blame for these drastic opinions and constant political spats, but Gen Z is ready for a change.
“We're stepping into a very pivotal time with this election. It's a truly scary thing to realize that we are not standing as a nation combined anymore. Regardless of who you vote for and what you stand for, this is an election to vote on unity and coming together as one to reinstall the values America was founded upon,” said college freshman Asher Wimberly.
What November’s presidential election will bring is entirely unknown, but what is sure is that new voters of Gen Z are paying attention to the world around them and they are ready to make their voices heard.
If you are 18-years-old and want to register to vote, please follow this link for more information: