With tensions over police brutality, systemic racism and the pandemic creating a politically-divided nation, this year’s presidential election is one of the most polarizing seen. Unsurprisingly, voting has become a part of that debate; whether it is voting in person, by mail, or even voting at all. Because of this, people in Montgomery County are getting involved in the push to vote, especially young people.
According to a survey from the Harvard Political Institute, people ages 18-29 years old said they would “definitely” vote this year, making it the highest percentage in 20 years. “Growing up knowing that I’d be 18 in the 2020 election, it made me more interested in politics, because I knew I would have a say,” Phoebe Chambers, first-time voter and Winston Churchill High School senior said.
High young voter turnout can also be attributed to the issues that face young adults. According to the Washington Post, 70% of teens are “frightened” by climate change. “As a young person, I’ve always been hyper aware of climate change. And even though Joe Biden won’t pass the Green New Deal, at least he will get something done,” Chambers said.
Gun violence also plays a large role in the political beliefs of young voters. “I want to feel safe at school,” Chambers said. “Especially when we go back, there will be enough chaos with the pandemic and I would like to not have to worry about being shot as well. ” Aftermany massacres and school shootings, young voters are looking for real systemic reform. According to Every Town Research, people ages 15 to24 are more likely to be killed by a gun than by any other cause of death. There is also a huge disparity in victims of gun violence between white young adults, and their Black and Latinx classmates. Everytown also reports that 64% of the 335 incidences of gunfire in K-12 schools, from 2013 to 2019, occurred in mostly minority schools.
There are also countless teens who are not eligible to vote this year, but that will not stop them from promoting change. One example is the phone banking initiative headed by Delegate Qi and the Women in Politics club. This is a non-partisan effort to spread accurate information about how to safely vote in this year’s election. Many teens are also volunteering as election judges, for which you need only to be 16-years-old. And in a county where you can register to vote as early as that age, many students are urging their classmates and adult family members to do so. “It frustrates me when people talk about why they don’t vote or why they throw their vote away. Because people,especially if you’re a woman or a person of color-,people died, they literally died and they spent their whole lives fighting so you could vote,” Chambers said
Written by Abby Nega of Winston Churchill High School
Photo by May Pham of Walter Johnson High School