MINNEAPOLIS – According to the US Census, there are 42 million Gen Zers between the ages of 18 and 27 who are eligible to vote this year – but will they?
A national poll conducted by Harvard University showed Vice President Kamala Harris leading former President Donald Trump.
The same poll found that 74% of young Democratic-leaning voters plan to vote, while 60% of young Republican-leaning voters said the same.
Despite these figures, there are many students who still have not made a choice.
What may be troubling for Democrats is that students who seemed to agree with Democrats on issues told us they weren’t sure who to vote for.
When asked about issues that bothered students the most, University of Minnesota junior Ali Swanson said, “I would say my top two are climate change and reproductive rights.”
Swanson is not alone.
Another U of M student, Grace Schmidt, said she also worries about reproductive rights, especially abortion.
Both Swanson and Schmidt believe Harris and Tim Walz are more aligned with their values when it comes to these issues.
Reproductive rights weren’t the only thing on students’ minds. Another topic that WCCO hears a lot about is money.
“I have a lot of loan debt,” U of M junior Gabriel Riley said. “I don’t know how that’s going to happen when I get out of college, how that’s going to affect me and it scares me.”
Although Riley says he’s leaning toward Harris on this issue, he, too, is undecided
The Biden administration’s policies toward Israel and Hamas were another top issue that students cited as one of their top concerns.
“One thing I definitely look for in candidates is Christian values,” said student Ella Fidler, who calls herself a conservative.
Fidler thought JD Vance was great during the VP debate.
“He is very open and honest about his faith,” Fidler said.
But she’s not ready to commit to the Trump-Vance ticket just yet, though she says she’s “definitely leaning in that direction.”
Esme Murphy
