Teens Trend Towards Hillary Clinton If They Vote

Voting among youth has always been a concern in this country. Young voters tend to be more uneducated politically, than older voters. This makes their 21% of the national votes a big deal. People 30 and under strongly trend towards democratic straight-ticket voting. Under 20.8% of eligible voters say they will be voting in the upcoming 2016 elections, over 50% of those will be voting for Hillary Clinton, which vastly serpasses the other canididates: with Chris Christie-8%, Elizabeth Warren-9%, and Rand Paul-10%.(according to the Niche)

Most students are required to take an 18 week government class in high school. While this covers structure, and formation of the United States government, some government teachers may never get around to talking about the real candidates on the campaign trai, and the real issues facing our current government in depth.  However, despite most young voters being uneducated, 80% of them still say they plan to vote in this upcoming election.

Plus, with many youth uniformed, some young voters may make irrational decisions when voting. Studies show that younger Americans today are less attached to political institutions. Many youth voters see voting as a choice rather than a duty. Young Americans believe that only the well-informed should vote. You can find more about the youth’s views of informed voting here.

Out of all the eligible young voters, 80% of them say they will be voting in the 2016 elections. While 5%, will not; 15% are still unsure. Out of over 17,000 young people, 50% of them say they’ll be voting for Hillary Clinton.

Out of the 80% of young people planning to vote, 73% of them do so because they believe they can make a difference.

It is known that young people are extremely influential, and that doesn’t end with voting. Surveys say that 75% of young people are influenced by their parents, behind them are teachers and news hosts tying at 43%. It’s proven that both boys and girls are equally likely to share the same political and social views as their parents. However, one interesting fact is that young people tend to vote more conservatively in Republican households, and young people tend to vote more liberally than their parents in Democratic households.

Two MCHS seniors, Olivia Beasley and Sydney Poling graciously gave up their time and permitted an interview. Here are their thoughts on voting as a teen:

Q.) Why are you planning to vote?

Olivia: I want to have a say on who runs our country, I feel like my opinion matters.

Sydney: I think every vote matters, but I feel like I’m too young to make a serious voting decision because I’m not well informed on the topics. I feel like when I’m older, have a house, and wiser, I’ll make better decisions while voting.

Q.) What do they look for in a candidate?

Olivia: I look for someone who’s more liberal. Someone who has modern views and keeps up with the times. Someone who’s open minded.

Sydney: Probably someone who’s honest. Someone who genuinely cares about the public. Someone who doesn’t just say what we want to hear; they say what they mean.

Q.) What influenced your political views?

Olivia: Definitely my parents. Maybe the area I grew up in as well, but definitely my parents.

Sydney: I feel like the news. I keep up with politics through the news, so I feel like I learn from that.