By Aaron Garcia
Pulse Staff Reporter
Voter turnout for the 2018 midterm election set a new standard for what to expect from American voters. Participants across the country attended the polls for a nationwide change, a 13 percentage point increase in voters from 2014 to 2018.
The 2020 election is just around the corner, and many citizens are wondering if voter participation will continue like it did in the 2018 midterms.
Palo Alto student and Public Relations major, Thalia Guzman, thinks young voters will also be engaged in the 2020 elections.
“Definitely. I believe even more. The Texas Senate race between Beto O’Rourke and Ted Cruz alone brought so many young people to register and actually cast their vote,” Guzman said. “The obvious answer to why there were so many younger voters engaged in this election was because of the 2016 election.”
With the exposure of politics made available to younger voters by the media, students believe that the news media plays a huge factor in increasing voter turnout.
“I wasn’t surprised. The amount of coverage the news has placed on voting currently is tenfold what it used to be,” said Steven Hawkins, a Network Administration major. “The outcome is what the outcome is. Who got portrayed in a better light by the media will generally get more of the swing votes.”
The 2018 election proved that more young voters are registering and getting involved to make a difference in their state. According to a research study on usnews.com, 32 percent of voters from the age of 18-29 cast their ballot in the 2018 midterm election.
Alamo Colleges campuses showed involvement in helping younger voters make their way to the polls. Campuses like Palo Alto College offered resources for students, like registration booths in the common area and also voting booths on campus, so students in the district could vote with ease.
Nick Palomo, a Liberal Arts major, thinks this involvement from young voters was not just a phase.
“I think it will continue. People will get involved to realize what’s happening, and what they need to change,” Palomo said.
With elections such as the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, and the most important presidential election approaching in 2020, young adults have made it clear that they are not afraid to voice their opinion. To register to vote, visit votetexas.gov/register-to-vote/.
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