By Regina Self
Many Tallahassee Community College students don’t vote in presidential elections because they are focused on their studies rather than politics. But this election year, young people are voting in far higher numbers than they did in 2016.
In the 2016 Presidential election only 13 percent of validated voters were younger than 30 according to the Pew Research Center.
First-year TCC student Alex Craig said some college students are more worried about doing well in school than paying attention to the news.
“I’m going to college right now and need to focus on that,” said Craig. “Really we should be thinking about everything a little bit more, but I feel like we think about our classes and what we need for school.”
Many young voters lack confidence in themselves when navigating the voting process for the first time, according to interviews conducted by The Conversation. Many students said voting falls to the wayside with their hectic schedules.
TCC students have launched the Why I Vote campaign and are using social media to bring awareness about the importance of voting. Students are encouraged to use the hashtag #WhyIVote to share their opinions.
Second-year TCC student Michael Truss said many students don’t understand the importance of going out to vote.
“I don’t think they realize that they’re going to be voting for the leader of our country because they’re in college,” said Truss. “They don’t think it applies to them.”
With less than a week to go before election day, more than 5 million young people between the ages of 18 and 29 have already voted. This number already exceeds the 2016 margin of victory in each state according to the Center For Information & Research On Civic Learning And Engagement at Tufts University.
First-year TCC student Claire Lewos will be voting in her first election and said she believes every vote can make a difference.
“I feel like it’s important that my vote can count to whatever candidate I pick,” said Lewos. “It will help them hopefully win.”
