YORK, Maine – Jeff Barry’s voice reverberated through his classroom last week, as he pleaded with his students to vote.
“Your generation is the largest in American history,” Barry said. “You have the single largest demographic. If you show up, you’ll have a tremendous opportunity to change the policy in our government.”
“If you do nothing, only one outcome will be possible: nothing will change,” he said.
Barry challenged the seven seniors in his York High School “Preparation for Citizenship” civics course that Monday morning to identify the nuances of voting, the issues that matter most to them and the possible improvements they could make to the electoral system overall. He explained how young people have historically been less likely to show up at the polls, even as politicians have been “desperately working” to gain their attention.
Barry’s entreaty ended with the importance of civic engagement and holding government officials accountable, plus a sweet incentive for any of his students who decide to become first-time voters: “If you do, I’ll give you extra credit,” Barry said.
The seniors in Barry’s course this year were freshmen when Donald Trump won the last presidential election, in 2016. Now, with Maine’s Super Tuesday presidential preference primary this week, those who will have turned 18 by the general election this fall finally have a chance to participate in the electoral process themselves, to impact policy in potentially profound ways – if they show up.
Baby boomers, who were born between 1946 and 1964, represented the largest generational bloc in 2016, with 70 million eligible voters, according to the Pew Research Center. Millennials, who were born between 1981 and 1996, represented the second-largest bloc, with 62 million eligible voters.
Voter turnout was much higher, however, among boomers than among millennials. While 70% of eligible boomers cast ballots in 2016, only 51% of eligible millennials did so, according to Pew’s data.
The students in Barry’s class are part of an even younger generational bloc, those born after 1996, often called Generation Z. This group is projected to account for about 10% of eligible voters in 2020, according to Pew’s data.
Barry told his class that young people often feel like their votes don’t matter or that “old people have all the power.”
“Well, they have the power because they show up,” he said.
Of the seven students who attended class Feb. 24, only three confirmed that they intended to vote on Tuesday. And only one, Kate Nowell, had concrete plans to register.
“I think they (young voters) may think it’s too much effort,” Nowell said. “I think it sounds like a lot of effort, but it’s not.”
The students said they believe the reasons for low voter turnout among young Americans include a lack of preparation, an overly argumentative political environment and difficulty finding reliable information.
“Newspapers can be biased,” said Hannah Newcombe. “I don’t know where to turn to. There’s so much information out there I have no idea where to start.”
The seniors said political topics are often uncomfortable to discuss and run the risk of causing division among family and friends, so they frequently sidestep politics as a way to avoid arguments. They also said they feel ill-prepared to make what they consider to be a difficult decision.
“Nobody really prepares you for this,” said Shyanne Goodwin. “When you’re 16, they teach you how to drive. They make a big deal of it. Then you turn 18 and this is just pushed at us. I don’t even know where to begin.”
Some of the students suggested making it easier for young people to vote, such as by creating a voting holiday or making it possible to cast a ballot online.
“This sounds lazy, but if people could vote from their couch, more people would do it,” Newcombe said.
None of the students voiced support for a particular presidential candidate, but they did identify issues that matter to them. They agreed that protecting the environment and dealing with climate change, for example, are major concerns.
“The stuff I read kind of scares me a lot,” said Sydney Fogg.
“I think about what my life is going to be like in 30 years,” Fogg said. “It makes me think I’m going through an existential crisis. I think, ’Will I be able to have kids?’ because it’s not a good world for them.”
Maggie Prince and Phoebe Keenan talked about gun violence and gun control. While they didn’t point to any solutions they’d like to see, they agreed stricter control was important.
“I don’t feel unsafe in my school, but I know some students do, and that’s just wrong,” Prince said. “We need to change that.”
A major theme in the class discussion involved political ads and sincerity. The students mentioned ads from former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a wealthy businessman who’s funding his own campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, as the ones they have seen the most.
“I was unimpressed,” Nowell said. “They were so fake.”
Newcombe said she was similarly unimpressed, though, by vitriolic attack ads directed against President Trump.
“I don’t support him, but tell me what you’re going to do for our country,” she said. “Don’t just go after him.”
That quest for truth and sincerity, not pandering, was a common theme among the students.
“Trying to pretend that what you’re proposing is going to fix everything doesn’t resonate with us,” Goodwin said. “Tell it straight to us, tell us the truth.”
Barry agreed.
“What I’ve noticed about you guys is you like to ‘keep it a hundred,’” he said. “That’s an incredible value to you. Authenticity is so important to you, and you guys are great judges of that in people.”
