The United States 2024 presidential election with candidates former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris begins its voting period on Monday, Oct. 21 and ends Tuesday, Nov. 5. Trump is running for the Republican party with Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his vice president. Harris is running for the Democratic party with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her vice president.
Americans who are of age 18 are eligible to vote by mail or in-person in the presidential election if they have registered to vote by Oct. 7. In order to vote, people must bring a photo ID or another form of identification such as a birth certificate, valid voter registration certificate, or a type of utility, bank or government document that includes their name and address.
It is essential for students who are of age to vote in the 2024 election, they can make a big difference by voicing their opinions to the government and advocating for change they believe would benefit the upcoming youth in the long run. Rising young adults can especially adapt better to the growth of technology and possess diverse ideas and opinions on important social issues that have an impact on their lives in comparison to older adults whose needs and priorities from the government are different.
According to the Pew Research Center of Voter Turnout (2018-2022) statistical demographic, the age group 18-29 in 2018 had only 11% of voters, significantly lower than the age group 65+ with 31% of voters. In comparison, the percentage of nonvoters of ages 18-29 was the highest in 2018 with 30% and ages 65+ being the lowest with 10%. Voter turnout plays a massively important role in the results of the election with low voter turnout mainly consisting of the younger population.
Low voter turnout means the engagement and participation of the citizens and reflects the state of the democracy. Typically, voter turnout is a result based on the education of voters and the competitiveness of the election. The 2024 presidential election serves as one of the most competitive elections with poll results for each candidate being head to head. In the 270toWin state candidate polls, Texas has a 6% lead with Trump at 51% and Harris with 45%. However, nationally Harris has a 2.8% lead with 49.3% and Trump with 46.5%. Even though Harris is winning in all national polls, that doesn’t guarantee the win of Harris in the presidential election as the electoral college determines the winner based on the popular vote of each state.
This is why voting in the 2024 presidential election matters because the results rely on the electoral college. The more people that are voting in each state, the popular vote representing each state can change. That’s why it is crucial for young voters to start paying attention to politics and forming their own political stance and opinion. The result of whether they voted or not can affect them in the future regarding laws and bills being passed that could be based on jobs, housing, law enforcement or social affairs.
