This story was revealed in collaboration with Headway, a brand new initiative at The New York Occasions. Chalkbeat and Headway have been posing questions concerning the presidential election to educators and highschool college students since February. Now we have heard from almost 1,000 college students and 200 lecturers throughout the nation.
When Chalkbeat teamed up with Headway at The New York Occasions to ask younger individuals how they’re fascinated about the upcoming presidential election, we acquired a whole lot of responses. First-time voters instructed us concerning the points that shall be prime of thoughts once they forged their ballots. What we heard was everywhere in the map, actually — gun violence and housing affordability of their communities, statewide restrictions on abortion entry and what books they’ll learn in class, and, on the nationwide stage, immigration coverage and the way forward for democracy. Different respondents prioritized international points, together with local weather change and the continued wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
Within the traditionally shut matchup between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald J. Trump, the youth vote and the extent to which younger individuals prove on Nov. 5 may assist decide the election’s final result. When the Institute of Politics on the Harvard Kennedy College polled eligible voters ages 18 to 29, 56% stated they “positively” plan to forged their poll. 4 years in the past, in keeping with a Tufts College evaluation, 50% of Individuals in that age bracket voted, the third-highest turnout for the reason that voting age was lowered to 18, in 1971.
We wished to raised perceive the problems driving younger individuals to the polls this 12 months. So we requested six first-time voters to inform us what points they’ll be fascinated about as they fill out their ballots. Right here’s what they instructed us, edited for size and readability.
Will you be a first-time voter this 12 months? We need to hear from you at group@chalkbeat.org and DearHeadway@nytimes.com. Inform us the problem most influencing your poll.
The difficulty driving my vote: Gun violence
Anabelle Sanchez, 18, graduated from Jones Faculty Prep in Chicago and now attends Michigan State College in East Lansing. She plans to check political principle, constitutional democracy, and economics and hopes to pursue a profession in politics, spurred on by her experiences rising up as a Latina. “As a minority, I typically felt I didn’t have management that appeared like me. That’s why I need to go into politics,” Annabelle stated. For now, although, she’s “ grateful to have the ability to vote.”
My junior 12 months of highschool, I went to a mall. I used to be wanting by way of the clothes racks, and hastily, I noticed a retailer supervisor shortly run to the entrance to close the doorways.
I had by no means skilled one thing like this, however I immediately knew what was taking place. As a result of I reside in America. Individuals began yelling to simply run to the again of the shop. There have been dozens of us packed in a again room, like sardines. It was probably the most horrific half-hour of my life as a result of we knew somebody on the market had a gun.
Fortunately, nobody was harmed. A SWAT crew evacuated us, however simply the concept of dealing with dying was very scary. It hit me much more as a result of not lengthy earlier than, there was a [deadly] taking pictures at a mall in Allen, Texas.
Now, at Michigan State, I’ve two lessons within the constructing the place the campus taking pictures occurred final 12 months, and three college students misplaced their lives. In one among my lessons, I’ve to stroll proper previous the realm of the taking pictures.
Whether or not you reside in a neighborhood the place listening to gunshots is widespread or, fairly frankly, whether or not you allow your own home and simply buy groceries or go to highschool, we’re compelled to consider gun violence and the way the problem impacts us and others.
The difficulty driving my vote: The financial system
Owen Riesenberg, 18, is a latest graduate of Woods Cross Excessive College close to Salt Lake Metropolis and an automotive technician at a Ford dealership. Owen plans to vote in subsequent month’s presidential election “despite the fact that there’s an virtually assured final result right here,” since Utah has thrown its assist behind the Republican candidate for president in each election for greater than 50 years. “I nonetheless need to make my voice heard,” he stated.
Should you watch Fox Information or Newsmax, they’ll discuss how Kamala goes to destroy the financial system. In left-wing media, they discuss how Trump is a monster going to destroy democracy. I believe most of what has America polarized is simply how fervently the media on each side of the aisle are combating one another.
I like to stay to podcasts and extra long-form information. I often have one earbud in and hearken to the radio as I’m engaged on my automobiles for the day. My routine, each morning, is to hearken to one thing like Joe Rogan’s podcast, after which, later within the day, to hearken to Ben Shapiro on The Each day Wire.
The No. 1 situation for me is certainly the financial system. I pay a lot for fuel. I pay a lot for meals. I can’t transfer out of my mother and father’ home as a result of lease here’s a minimal of $1,500, sometimes.
I’d just like the tax on fuel closely diminished. I’d like laws for small companies simply beginning as much as be much less hefty. I believe that rates of interest must be introduced down.
I would like the federal government to be as uninvolved in my life as doable. I don’t need any handouts. I don’t need checks for disasters. I don’t desire a widespread authorities well being care plan. I would like to have the ability to work for myself and never be taxed a lot to pay for presidency packages that someway profit me. I’d quite simply maintain that cash and resolve the place it goes.
The difficulty driving my vote: E-book bans
Emily Muñoz, 18, graduated from Harry S. Truman Excessive College within the Bronx and is a first-year scholar at Vanderbilt College in Nashville. She’s at all times beloved to learn and, rising up, loved books during which she felt represented and people during which she obtained to find out about completely different cultures, backgrounds, and gender identities. “I genuinely imagine that studying is the way you uncover extra concerning the world and your self,” she stated.
One thing that’s actually private for me as a Black girl is ebook banning, the banning of African-American programs, and simply this erasure of Black historical past. AP African-American Research lessons have already been banned in Florida, and that’s deeply regarding.
I’ve it loads simpler as a result of, in New York Metropolis, banned books are celebrated. I’m grateful that I’ve been capable of develop up like this. However then, I labored as a teen studying ambassador on the New York Public Library. We held a Freedom to Learn contest, and as I used to be scoring the submissions, I heard from a number of college students in conservative states the place they’ll’t learn sure books of their lessons. A lot of the books have been about race or LGBTQ points. That’s when it actually grew to become clear to me.
One banned ebook that involves thoughts is “All American Boys” by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely. It’s this story a few younger Black boy who will get assaulted by the police. It’s instructed from the boy’s perspective and likewise from the attitude of a white boy who [witnesses the beating]. Studying it, I used to be questioning: Why would somebody need to ban this ebook? It’s a genuinely good ebook.
Truthfully, lecturers don’t receives a commission sufficient to cope with all of this. I believe they need to have the chance to show freely and with out as a lot restriction.
The difficulty driving my vote: the Israel-Hamas Conflict
Samantha Sandhaus, 18, graduated from Central Excessive College in Philadelphia and attends Lehigh College, the place she is pursuing an built-in diploma in engineering, arts, and sciences. In highschool, she led a nonprofit referred to as Feeding Philly that fights meals insecurity, an expertise that “was necessary in making malnutrition a significant situation to me.”
In highschool, I obtained to assist with work addressing meals insecurity in Philadelphia. I’ve seen the impact of malnutrition, particularly on younger kids, and it made me need to do all I can to become involved civically and ensure we have now insurance policies that middle on social justice.
This previous 12 months, I’ve seen loads on social media on international well being inequities, particularly round vitamin, and the images of youngsters in Gaza who’re hungry and hurting as a result of Israel-Hamas battle have actually affected me. That’s motivating me to analysis the presidential candidates’ stances on the problems and whether or not or not they’re placing forth concepts that might really assist deliver the battle to an finish and supply for households within the horrors of battle.
I do know it is a very contentious situation for Individuals to talk about, however I’ve been to a good quantity of various peaceable protests and marches, and a number of younger individuals I hear communicate are saying that this is a matter that weighs closely on their minds and can have an effect on their votes.
In a swing state just like the one I’m in, I understand how a lot my vote issues. And I really feel like America’s position within the Center East goes to proceed to be essential. I actually need to hear the candidates discuss this as one thing they may prioritize, that they’ve a path towards ending this battle, saving lives, and aiding the humanitarian disaster that’s taking place proper now.
The difficulty driving my vote: Abortion entry
Torrance Johnson, 18, graduated from Clarenceville Excessive College in Livonia, Michigan, and is a first-year scholar at Wayne State College in Detroit. As a baby, he dreamed of rising as much as grow to be president of the US. As of late, he’s extra curious about pursuing a profession in music manufacturing. He’s casting his first vote partly to affirm his perception in abortion rights. “I at all times inform individuals: If that’s what you’re in opposition to, you don’t should do it,” Torrance stated. “The selection must be left as much as the particular person it instantly impacts.”
When the Supreme Court docket overturned Roe v. Wade, it obtained me considering: If that is what our authorities is doing, do I would like new individuals in authorities or not?
I’m very pro-choice, nevertheless it’s not nearly pro-life, pro-choice, or about abortion, no abortion. It’s about having choices. I’m professional having choices. It has to do instantly with my incapacity and never at all times having choices.
I’ve been utilizing a wheelchair for 14 or 15 years. And all through my life, I’ve discovered struggles stepping into some locations as a result of they solely have stairs. If it’s on the second ground, I can’t go. One time, my college had a discipline journey, and since I couldn’t take part within the actions they have been doing, they excluded me — quite than saying, you possibly can be a part of, however since you possibly can’t do that, possibly you are able to do that as a substitute.
The factor about America that individuals attempt to copy or mimic is the concept it’s the land of alternative. Do we would like extra alternatives or much less alternatives, extra choices or much less choices? All of it begins with Roe v. Wade.
Let the individuals have their selections — it’s none of my enterprise.
Ever since I used to be a baby, I couldn’t wait to show 18 so I may vote. My American authorities professor lately took a ballot, and in a category of about 50 individuals, almost everybody stated they have been voting within the upcoming election. If that’s any signal of what 18-24-year-olds shall be doing, will probably be a very good turnout. Now we have to be the change we want to see, and we do this by voting.
The difficulty driving my vote: U.S. overseas coverage
Alexander Cisneros, 18, a Colorado native, graduated from Denver East Excessive College and attends the College of Colorado Boulder, the place he’s learning historical past. His household would typically spend time visiting kinfolk overseas when he was rising up, and he credit that journey with widening his view of the world and his place in it. Alexander stated that individuals typically assume that youthful individuals like him “solely care concerning the points at dwelling that clearly influence our day by day lives,” nevertheless it’s overseas coverage that “I’ll most bear in mind in November.”
I’ve household everywhere in the world — in Greece, Mexico, and Canada. I grew up experiencing these completely different cultures, and after I was at dwelling loads throughout COVID, I obtained actually into watching historical past documentaries.
That led me to like studying about World Conflict II and the Chilly Conflict. One of many huge issues with World Conflict II was that the US wasn’t concerned in worldwide affairs as a lot because it ought to have been. If it had been extra concerned, then maybe we wouldn’t have had as devastating a battle throughout that point. So, I believe something to try to forestall one other battle or finish conflicts extra shortly whereas ensuring that autocratic international locations don’t proceed to develop is one thing fairly necessary to me.
I need to see the U.S. keep part of the United Nations and NATO. I believe it’s actually necessary that the US continues to assist Ukraine. If we have been to desert Ukraine, then that will ship a sign to the world that, sure, autocratic powers can develop, which might be notably worrying relating to China and Iran.
Caroline Bauman is the deputy managing editor for engagement at Chalkbeat. Attain her at cbauman@chalkbeat.org.
Gabrielle Birkner is Chalkbeat’s options editor and fellowship director. Attain her at gbirkner@chalkbeat.org.
