Emily Cousins | Staff Writer
As Joe Biden and Donald Trump continue to campaign for the presidential election, young, left-leaning voters wonder if they will vote at all.
Biden has made an appeal to gain the vote of more centrist democrats and Republicans who do not want Trump as their president. This leaves behind young voters who wanted a more progressive presidential nominee.
Young registered voters are more likely to vote for Democratic candidates, according to Pew Research Center. With that being said, young people could be the difference between Biden winning or losing the election.
Nacogdoches junior Wilson Bertin said Biden will not challenge the status-quo.
“We want real change, Biden doesn’t represent that at all,” Bertin said.
Young voters feel betrayed, San Antonio junior Ben Tyler said.
“There were much more competent and compassionate candidates but we ended up with Biden. It is also hard for me to vote for someone who has sexual harassment allegations against them. It’s just wrong,” Tyler said. “I guess it is just important to think about the change that can happen with Biden in office, opposed to the hatred that currently resides.”
Young conservative voters are having an easier time supporting Trump. Galatia, Ill. freshman Hannah Jackson said Trump is more focused on unity than Biden.
“We’ve gotten back to … actually liking our country. People who like Donald Trump like our country a little bit more than people who don’t because they think that the U.S. is not the best place to live,” Jackson said.
However, more liberal voters are concerned about Trump’s stance on protecting the environment, Tyler said.
“Trump’s denial of climate change and environmental issues scares me because these problems are going to have a major impact on our future sooner than we think,” Tyler said.
The future of America is dependent on the upcoming election. Tyler said young people feel disconnected from the political conversation, so they are not inspired to vote. In the end, the young vote does matter, and it could be a determining factor in the election.
“If I have to choose between guaranteed doom and harm-reduction,” Bertin said, “I don’t really have to think about it, do I?”
