By: Joshua Johnson
May 24, 2024
A graph showing young people who cast a ballot in 2022.
This year, many Carver students chose to vote and work at voting polls to politically contribute to society.
In the past, Generation Z wasn’t very involved in voting. However, things have started to change this decade.
CIRCLE, a research organization focused on youth civic engagement in the United States, reported that “according to the Census data, 31% of young people under age 30 voted in 2022”, which is “the third-highest youth turnout in a midterm cycle in the past 50 years.”
Malea Williams, a senior at Carver, expressed her views on America’s politics. When she was asked about this fact, she gave her own opinion on why there’s been an increase.
“I feel like social media definitely has a lot to do with that”, she said. “Being that the whole our whole generation evolves around it and social change.”
Additionally, a lot of Gen Z members are becoming adults this year. This means that there will be a plethora of potential voters this year.
CIRCLE added onto this saying that “in the next presidential election, 40.8 million members of Gen Z (ages 18-27 in 2024) will be eligible to vote.”
Saint Ambrose Philly Church and the Truebright Science Academy next to it. Ballots are usually held there.
Last year, Malea became a voter for the first time. She opened up about her first experience with voting in the fall.
She said “it was kind of confusing at first because [she] didn't really know how to operate a voting poll” and that it was slightly “overwhelming.”
Malea shared that her peers and other people around her were a big inspiration for her to vote.
“I would just say like the people around me, especially this generation, they're so passionate about voting and stressed the importance of it.” She strongly believes that voting has a large impact on society and impacts everyone everyday.
And, with her mother’s assistance, her first voting experience started to seem easier.
“And then, after that, I understood the process and what it meant and being able to get that firsthand experience was definitely helpful”, she said. “So when I voted this past election [in April] it was easy. It was a breeze.”
Malea is also a member of BSU [Black Student Union], an inclusive club at Carver. She listed BSU and their political action committee as an inspiration to vote.
This is surprising, as she only joined BSU in her junior year. She communicated her positive views on BSU. “I think BSU is such a great organization to be a part of. It’s collaborative, it’s welcoming and we get stuff done.”
The BSU classroom where Malea meets with the rest of the ;BSU.
Just as Malea said, voting is very important in this country and far more important to Gen Z. This Generation is always said to be the “future of America”, and this is true. It’s important to take action and push our peers to vote.
“So yes, I encourage not just friends, but anyone to vote. Especially this year, and this coming election vote, because it's important, it's going to impact us, and a lot can be done in four years. So just be cautious. Do your research,” Malea said.
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