Turnout among young voters could reach record levels on Election Day
By Samantha Deater
After the horrific 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, young Florida voters — and teenagers not yet old enough to cast a ballot — became motivated to participate like never before. Such mass shooting events, and what local candidates are or aren’t doing to prevent them, could be one of the most important factors in getting young voters off their screens and into polling places this Nov. 8.
“This will be my first-time voting,” said Nicole Ward, a sophomore at Florida Atlantic University. I was never very into politics but the fact that school shootings have become a norm in this country has made me want to learn more about who I am voting for in this year’s ballot.”
The Stoneman Douglas shooting sparked an outburst in America, with kids demanding change and encouraging stricter prevention methods. Students from Parkland and other mass shootings began advocating for a major shift in gun legislation, arguing that that no kid should have to go through what they did.
“Since there was little noticeable change after the event it made me want to register to vote and be able to pick a candidate that supported my views and would actually do something to put an end to gun violence or at least decrease it immensely,” Rielyn Harty, Florida Atlantic University sophomore, said.
Although the Parkland shooting came back into focus recently, the activism that grew from the massacre doesn’t necessarily give young voters a clear view of whom to support. In October, in the largest school shooting trial in US history, a jury sentenced Nikolas Cruz to life in prison for murdering of 17 people Feb. 14, 2018, disappointing many of the victims’ loved ones, who expected that Cruz would get the death penalty.
Soon afterwards, Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke in Cape Coral, Fla. about his opinion on the Douglas shooting verdict, following the sentencing of Cruz Oct 13. DeSantis voiced said he believed the death penalty was the most appropriate verdict, calling the outcome “a miscarriage of justice.” His Democratic opponent, Charlie Crist, also said in an October debate that Cruz should have been given the death penalty.
DeSantis drew the attention of many, including Parkland students at the time of the event who agreed with what he had to say about the decision.
Concerned students across the nation felt that the system had failed them, and that the friends and families of victims didn’t get the justice that they deserved.
“At the end of the day the jury doesn’t know what it’s like to be there on that day and what the family and friends of the victims felt,” said Julien DeCoste, a former MSD student and friend of victim, Joaquin Oliver. “I still deal with the obstacle myself with losing someone I called my brother. DeSantis is 100% correct on what he said.”
“Now I don’t know whether or not it would sway many votes because most people will always vote whatever party they associate with,” DeCoste said. “DeSantis has my respect regardless of the statement he has recently said about the verdict because he’s done a lot for the victims’ families as a whole.”
Gun violence is an issue today that is a large factor in deciding which party to support. March for Our Lives is a movement led by students that educates people on gun violence and inspires young voters to take action. According to their statistics, there were 44,851 deaths in America that were a result of gun violence in 2021. And school shootings are at a record high level, according to EdWeek.
“Since the Douglas shooting, it encouraged me to register to vote as early as I could since there was little to no changes after the event,” Harty said. “It scares me that school shootings even happen.”
As midterm elections near, ones that will decide both the balance of the Republicans and Democrats in Congress as well as control of statehouses, students and other observers are shedding light on the politics of school shootings. As a result, a larger turnout of younger voters is expected. The Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School said its pre-election Harvard Youth Poll, released in late October, that turnout could match or even exceed the turnout in 2018, the last midterm elections.
“In 2018, America’s youngest voters ran to the polls in record-breaking numbers to confront the challenges facing our democracy. Our new poll shows that those historic midterm numbers were not a fluke: Gen Z is a formidable voting bloc that demands to be heard,” Setti Warren, the Interim Director of the Institute of Politics, said in press release. “Across geography, race, gender, and background, young Americans view the world from a starkly different lens than older generations. Elected officials should pay attention.”
