JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Young voters did not turn out for Vice President Kamala Harris this year like they did for President Joe Biden back in 2020.
According to AP Votecast, 52% of voters between the ages of 18-29 voted for Harris, while 46% voted for former President Donald Trump.
In 2020, 61% backed Biden to 36% who backed Trump.
We stopped by the University of North Florida on Wednesday, after Trump had been declared the winner, to ask students what the outcome means to them and to have a conversation about civil discourse.
The Honors students we spoke to shared varied ideas about what matters most to young voters -- from abortion rights, immigration, minority rights and the housing crisis to the environment, foreign policy, LGBTQ rights, and human rights in the U.S. and abroad.
The students not only want to engage in politics, but they also want their demographic to be considered and courted by potential lawmakers. They feel that doesn’t always happen.
“We can’t feel ignored anymore,” senior Winter Freeman said. “We are very vocal on issues. If you can’t tell, in the last couple of months, especially on foreign policy, and it just feels like we’ve often been ignored.”
Sophomore Eliza Mazel agreed, saying feeling like their voices are heard is their No. 1 concern.
“The conflict in Gaza has been a huge issue for young voters and both candidates that we had for the main two parties ignored that, and I think that definitely swayed some people to third-party candidates,” Mazel said.
They said they also understand that the source of information matters because they get news everywhere.
“Gen Z as a generation is very exposed to social media. We’re also vulnerable to misinformation,” sophomore Valentina Bonilla said. “So I feel like the education system -- that’s where some political critical thinking has to start for young voters to become an even more powerful force than they are right now.”
The students said that as a generation that’s lived through school shootings and went through high school in the middle of a pandemic, they are resilient.
Whether they are disappointed or encouraged by the election results, they said they will press on and continue to fight for what they believe.