As Election Day approaches, Jersey City high schoolers have something to say

Nov 4

High schoolers from Jersey City—Ahmed Omer, Amit Puran, Rania Dadlani, Erick Echeverria, Richard Paget and Yaw Asante—shared their thoughts on voting and elections with Public Square Amplified Community Reporter Zoe Van Gelder. (Zoe Van Gelder for Public Square Amplified)

Will young New Jersey voters cast ballots in the midterms on Tuesday? If recent elections are the measure, the answer is a resounding “Yes.” According to the Center for Information & Research on Civil Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University, the number of young voters in New Jersey between 18 and 24 grew 16 percent in the last four years. In 2020, the state had the highest youth voter turnout in the country—an impressive 67%. Nationwide, half of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 voted in the 2020 general election, “one of the highest youth voting rates in recent history and an 11-point increase from 2016,” according to CIRCLE. Racially diverse states can impact voting. In New Jersey, one of the most diverse states in the country, Latinos are 19% of eligible young voters and Black youth are 17%. “Young people, ages 18-19, who have reached voting age since the 2020 election, include 4.5 million white youth and 3.8 million youth of color,” according to the survey. Issues important to young voters are inflation, abortion, protecting democracy and climate change.

As encouraging as the spike in youth voting is, there is reason for concern that interest in the electoral process by young voters could wane. The CIRCLE poll found that among young people newly aged into the electorate (ages 18-19), the number of registered youth nationwide is down 5% and most states lag far behind their 2018 numbers. Yet, Black and Latino youth are more likely than white youth to say they belong to a group or movement that would vote to express their views. While these numbers seem to paint a complex picture of where the youth stand, young people increasingly believe they can work together to effect social and political change. And recent polling conducted by Harvard’s Kennedy School found growing skepticism among young voters about the value of their participation in the election process. The Harvard study found:

The percentage of youth agreeing that “political involvement rarely has any tangible results” has risen from 22% in 2018 to 36% in 2022.
Agreement with the statement “I don’t believe my vote will make a real difference,” increased from 31% in 2018 to 42% in 2022.
Agreement that “politics today are no longer able to meet the challenges our country is facing,” increased from 45% in 2018 to 56% in 2022.

Public Square Amplified Community Reporter Zoe Van Gelder asked a group of young people from her Jersey City school—all of whom will soon be eligible to vote—for their thoughts about the current political landscape and their views on the importance of voting. Here is what they said:

Erick Echeverria is 16 years old. Born in Ecuador, he has been a resident of Jersey City for over 10 years. (Zoe Van Gelder for Public Square Amplified)

Zoe Van Gelder: What does voting mean to you?

Erick Echeverria: I think that everyone has a choice when it comes to whether they want to vote or not. But although it's their choice to not vote, it makes me frustrated (when they choose not to) because they have the chance to be properly represented by their politicians, while I don’t. It’s hard having to sit back and watch other people skip out on making our country a better place for all of us. It feels like such a waste.