Teens in the Newsroom: Today’s youths showing little interest in voting

“I’m not interested in politics at all right now,” says Thomas Moore, an 18-year-old from Modesto who is serving in the Army. “I have more important things to worry about.”

Says Bailey Johnson, a senior at Enochs High School, “Although they voice their opinions, most of my friends are not planning on voting. ... They don’t feel like their vote will make any difference.”

Such statements represent the great majority of American youths in describing their relationship with government and politics. Whether it’s apathy, distrust or a lack of external stimulation, the fact is that very few young people are choosing to vote. And in a democracy such as ours, which relies on everyone’s participation to function well, this could be a problem.

In just a few months, Stanislaus County will open its polls to vote on California’s party candidates in the 58th presidential primaries. Yet despite the common euphemism of people “flocking to the polls,” turnout during elections in the past few decades has been far from bountiful. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, voting rates have dropped for all age groups, excluding a surge of those 65 and older, within the past half-century. For example, in Stanislaus County’s local elections in November, only 22 percent of the area’s voting-age population cast votes. So much for “flocking.”

The so-called millennial generation, ages 18 to 24, has consistently had the lowest voting rate among all age groups. In the 2012 elections, millennials ranked the least likely to vote, with turnout at only 38 percent. This disproportionate lack of political participation by American youths has been apparent ever since the voting age was lowered to 18 by the 26th Amendment in 1971. Although the statistics supporting this drop in voting are clear enough, it’s the question of why this generation refuses to vote that puzzles political scientists the most.

Cliff Zukin, a political science professor at Rutgers University and author of “A New Engagement? Political Participation, Civic Life, and the Changing American Citizen,” has a few theories on youth political participation.

“We’ve had a breakdown in the transmittal of norms of citizenship. … Millennials are raised by parents who talked about politics less and sort of transmitted generational values less,” Zukin said. “A second thing is that this generation is more self-absorbed and isn’t as aware of what’s going on in the world. I think in some ways they’re more entertainment-oriented so they don’t know very much about politics and government. They don’t have a good handle on how it all works.”

“There’s been a documented decline in civic education so that we haven’t actually helped educate young people for the act of voting,” stated Jane Eisner, editor-in-chief of the Jewish Daily Forward and author of “Taking Back the Vote: Getting American Youth Involved in our Democracy.” “Voting is a habit. … It’s getting the start of the habit that we’ve been very poor about doing.”

On the importance of civic and political education, Zukin and Eisner stressed what Eisner labeled the “vicious cycle” of the situation.

“Young people don’t vote, so candidates don’t bother to spend time talking about their issues because it’s so much better to talk about the issues that the people who are going to go to the polls care about,” Eisner said.

When reviewing the topics focused on by the 2016 presidential candidates, Zukin noted that very few of their focal points are youth-oriented.

“If you look at the political debate going on now, you might see a lot of things that are of interest to seniors, like health, but you see almost no discussion of college debt. Politicians’ strategies are to focus on those people who are habitual voters. They’re fishing in the pool where the fish are,” he said. “If you don’t participate, the issues that you have are ignored by politicians. It’s a chicken-and-egg question.”

Another reason behind young adults’ lack of voting could be attributed to technology. Most teens and young adults would rather take out their phone to scroll through social media than pick up a newspaper or discuss politics with their friends. Zukin, whose article “What’s the Matter With Polling?” was featured in The New York Times, regards the proliferation of cellphones as both a distancing factor for youths and an interference in election polling.

But while older adults view technology as a hindrance to political engagement, youths view it as a unifying agent.

“I think technology and social media in particular are huge when it comes to the political process,” said Tyler Olson, a senior at Downey High and prospective voter in the upcoming elections. “It has definitely brought the youth closer to the election.”

A 24-year-old student at Modesto Junior College, Jorge Diaz agrees that the Internet has fostered a stronger connection between voters and politicians.

“Technology has made it possible so that anyone can obtain any information immediately and keeps the youth updated,” he said.

Whether technology has hurt or helped youths get closer to politics, it’s essential to get low youth voting rates increased as soon as possible, experts say.

“Voting creates history. … It’s not just about this election. It actually affects the future,” Eisner said.

“It’s important for the voices and concerns of younger people to be heard in the same way it’s important for any group to feel like they have a chance to change the political agenda. By not participating, you’re shutting yourself out of the process,” she said, adding, “I understand why people feel disenfranchised, but that’s all the more reason why it’s important to use the tools that are there for us citizens.”

Yet despite the statistics and underlying frustration, not all millennials regard politics with apathy or confusion.

“Government is something I am extremely interested in,” said Brooke Nawrocki, a senior at Hughson High. “I feel it is very important that I participate in government and voting. We have an incredible opportunity to have a say in choosing the leaders of our country.”

Shared Diaz, “I feel it is very important that I participate in the government because if I do not cast my vote and stand up for what I believe is right, government officials and politicians can create their own agenda.”

“I am very interested in politics and love to hear other people’s opinions and views on certain subjects,” Enochs student Johnson said. “I think that this election is going to be a big one, especially since I am finally at the age where I can vote, and any decisions made will highly affect my future.”

Olson, the Downey senior, also regards the upcoming elections with interest and excitement.

“I have been following politics for a while now,” Olson said. “Because this will be the first election I can actually vote in, I am very interested and want to be as informed as possible.”

Just how important the youth vote will be in the 2016 elections is yet to be determined. If this younger age group began to represent a bigger portion of voter constituency, the cycle could be broken and politicians would start including youth interests within their platforms.

“It would make a big difference if young people were to participate as far as policies that government enacts,” Zukin said. “If the youth were to participate, then politicians would talk about economic opportunity, college financing, and they would be more progressive and liberal. Right now, the policies the government enacts go towards older people and richer people because those are the people who participate more, so their voices are heard more loudly.”

This story was originally published January 29, 2016 at 9:35 AM with the headline "Teens in the Newsroom: Today’s youths showing little interest in voting."