The future of the world continues to shift in the wake of the new generations. As the people currently in power look to see who is to follow in their footsteps, they see a group of individuals who have a chance to voice their opinions and are ready to be heard. Generation Z continues to prove how influential they are in the modern age due to having to live and grow in a world that has uneasy climate patterns, pandemics, even a changing economic market. In the evolving digital landscape, Gen Z is constantly staying up to date with any conflicts and accomplishments throughout the world. 

The next people in line to make a mark on this era are Gen Z. The world turns a new page in the hands of Gen Z, with their first chapter of voting. Voting isn’t as simple as one may think. It’s not choosing someone based on their charm or whose marketing skills are the best. It requires research, certainty, and confidence. Voters need to be completely satisfied with their person of choice, because each vote makes a change in the race of the election. People try to ignore how important it is for someone to vote because they imagine with the multitude of votes that just one couldn’t possibly make a difference, yet this argument can be easily refuted as can be seen in the presidential election of 2016 “the winning margin in Michigan averaged only two votes per precinct”(IGE). An electoral precinct is a voting district, in a state there are different sections that count the amount of votes and their effects are determined by the population of the cities located in each precinct. The fact that the precincts were challenged by two votes of the winning margin shows just how much the votes can sway the final choice.

 When people think of voting they constantly worry about the process. Senior, Alexis Cat, is part of Denmark HSDA (High School Democrats of America), and mentions how “The idea of voting can be kind of intimidating, but the process is really simple.” When registered voters were younger, they viewed the idea of voting to be a challenge. The truth is that when people don’t take the time to research how to vote, they create an image in their head that is much scarier than reality. 

 “The next people in line to make a mark on this era are Gen Z.”

Politics tends to be a section that many students are afraid to dive into. The arguing from the dinner table during thanksgiving or the constant political debates shown through the news only fuel the uneasiness that comes with having to vote. Students are often already drowning in work, whether they be high school seniors or college students, many of them work jobs while having to balance school. They don’t take the time aside to put their focus onto elections or college causes complications with living

situations, which is an unfair barrier because these students can’t control it. Lucas Carrol, 20, college graduate , talks about the struggles he faced when wanting to vote, “I requested my absentee ballot months in advance. It never came..” Due to being away from home because of college, Carrol was presented with the difficulty of not having a ballot to vote. Eventually he was able to return home to vote, but the difficulty of this situation isn’t foreign to others, this common obstacle is something that many young people face. As a result, it only adds to the hesitation that these people face when they vote. The government and communities should make it more accessible for people who are new to voting, and inform them of what steps to take when faced with these drawbacks. 

Many don’t feel suitable enough to make such an important decision, so it is the education system’s job to teach them about the future of the country. Those who live in areas less privileged tend to have fewer options when it comes to education. Unfortunately this has a major effect on their future standings, Tisch College collected data to show the differences in young voters, “half of youth with a Bachelor’s degree voted in 2022, compared to just 20% of youth whose highest educational attainment is a high school diploma.” Education should be accessible to everyone, it has proven to add limits to the people who want to vote, which is unfair to those who wish their voices to be heard. To be heard is a basic right in the United States, and it should not be such a complicated process to reach it. 

Voting is extremely important, this new wave of people should understand and take the time to conduct research on their desired political parties and candidates. It affects the future of all Americans, every effort made to learn more will only benefit each voter and each citizen. 

Source:

“Broadening Youth Voting | CIRCLE.” Tufts’ CIRCLE, https://circle.tufts.edu/our-research/broadening-youth-voting#what-do-we-do-about-it–grow-voters. Accessed 13 February 2024.

Rogers, Kirsten. “My vote doesn’t matter: falsehoods about voting.” IGNITE National, 12 October 2020, https://ignitenational.org/blog/my-vote-doesnt-matter-falsehoods-about-voting. Accessed 13 February 2024.

Turner, Karen. “Young people don’t vote for these often-overlooked reasons.” Vox, 15 October 2020, https://www.vox.com/21497637/election-2020-youth-vote-young-people-voting. Accessed 13 February 2024.