Is Our Vote This Election Really That Important?

With the 2024 presidential election just over a month away, does our vote as the younger generation matter, and do the presidential candidates care about our vote?

Dr. Jessica Boscarino, Associate Professor of Political Science, Sophia Fraher '26, Co-Chair of MaristVOTES and Dr. Melissa Gaeke, Director of the Center for Civic Engagement and Leadership encourage students to register to vote and get involved with the upcoming election. Photo by Elizabeth Baumgardner '25

Vietnam protests, March For Our Lives, the UC Berkeley Free Speech Movement and the Stonewall riots — none of the progress made from these events would have been possible without younger generations banding together to create change.

Today, the younger generation is just as influential as ever. With the 2024 presidential election just over a month away, the push for Gen Z to get to the polls and create change is more evident than ever before. 

Most political protests over the past few years have been planned and attended by the younger generation, showing more concern than any other generation about pressing issues like the environment and stricter gun laws. 

Yet much of the younger generation eligible to vote in this year’s election remains undecided on whether or not to do so.

Let’s face it, today’s America is a stressful place to live. The nation is grappling with political, ethical and moral dilemmas, evident in almost every aspect of our daily lives, leading to division within American society.

So, just because we can vote, should we? 

The overwhelming concept of voting for one candidate who you feel confident enough to elect can be enough for someone to avoid polls altogether. After all, it’s “just one vote.” 

It may not seem like a singular vote holds all too much weight, but this couldn't be farther from the truth. MIT Election Lab revealed that key elections in history often came down to just a handful of votes. In 2016 alone, more than 340 state office elections were decided by fewer than 500 votes. 

Yes, this data portrays state elections, but what about the most recent presidential election? 

The 2020 presidential election was extraordinarily close. CNN Politics analyzed that President Joe Biden received 51.3% of the popular vote, with former President Donald Trump narrowly behind him, receiving 46.9% of the vote.

Not only did this election have the highest voter turnout of the 21st century, with a record-breaking 159.8 million voters, but it also had the highest voter turnout rate of the younger generation that this nation has seen from this age demographic thus far. 

Following this election, the importance of the younger generation’s vote and how it can swing election results became evident. 

So, are Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump actively trying to win our votes too?

The campaign of Democratic candidate Harris strategically targets a younger demographic by embracing pop culture elements. References made to the 2024 album 'brat' by Charli XCX and active participation on the widely-used social media platform TikTok have been employed to engage the interest of the youth and enhance relatability. 

Furthermore, Harris places significant emphasis on pertinent moral issues, including women's rights, environmental conservation and gun control, aligning with the urgent concerns voiced by the younger populace.

Reaching out to the younger generation of voters creates a more appealing candidate for them. The younger generation enjoys being recognized as legitimate voters whose voices and opinions matter. Despite their age, young voters harvest deep opinions about controversies within the government.

As for Republican candidate Donald Trump, his involvement with the younger generation of voters is seemingly nonexistent. 

The majority of Trump’s support this election season has stemmed from loyal voters who intend to cast their vote for him a second or third time. Trump has not made any sort of outright attempt to influence young voters to cast their vote for him, and the polls show this. The Harvard Crimson’s IOP Youth poll found that only 31% of young voters intend to vote for Trump, whereas 61% of young voters intend to cast theirs for Harris this November.

Trump’s lack of attention toward the younger generation of voters has the potential to cost him the election for a second time, especially with the large amount of support the majority of the younger generation has for Harris.

Returning to the original question…just because we can vote, should we?

Yes. We should. 

The world constantly undermines the power of the younger generation, yet it is our voices that have historically been the deciding factors and brought about change. We are a generation with strong opinions and morals, both of which can be represented through voting.

Tuesday, Nov. 5 is the day of the 2024 election; your vote matters to the nation, and — possibly — to your candidate.

Make sure that you are registered to vote by Oct. 26. And don’t forget to come up with your voting plan, whether it be in-person voting, by mail-in ballot or absentee ballot.