Do students feel empowered to vote?

93% of survey respondents feel that voting is important, and 80% responded that they actually will vote in the 2024 election.

Collier said some young citizens refrain from voting because they do not feel well-informed about all the issues presented on the ballot.

 “Some students feel like they need to know about every race or issue on the ballot, but you always have the option of leaving parts of a ballot blank,” said Collier. “So, even if you only know about one or two races that you would vote in, you should still vote.”

Students who are choosing to vote are doing so for various reasons, and some seem to be more motivated to vote than others.

“I am planning on voting in the election because I feel I have an obligation to vote, especially coming from a first-generation family,” said Slomba. “My parents did not always have a voice in their home countries so I think it’s very important to use my voice where I can in America.” 

However, there are some students who are so disappointed with the current state of political affairs that they’re going to abstain from voting in the 2024 presidential election.

This discontent was expressed by one anonymous survey respondent who said, “Unfortunately, Trump and Biden fail miserably, … so voting this cycle isn’t particularly important.”

Overall, the students interviewed by The Forest Scout showed high levels of engagement and awareness in the upcoming presidential election cycle, though they expressed several areas of discontent with the leading candidates from both major parties. Despite these concerns, a high turnout of first-time voters is expected for the 2024 presidential election.

“Democracy only keeps working if enough of us believe in the system and are willing to be engaged,” said Collier.