The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
Michael Delorge is a freshman at the University of Maine, pursuing a degree in biology with a pre-medical concentration. Julia Whinston is a sophomore at the University of Maine studying philosophy and theater. Both serve as UMaine UVote Student Voting Ambassadors. These are their views and do not express those of the University of Maine System or the University of Maine. They were invited to share their perspectives by the Maine Chapter of the Scholars Strategy Network, which brings together scholars across the country to address public challenges and their policy implications. Members’ columns appear in the BDN every other week.
America’s youth are often told that they are the future. However, this statement is not entirely true. We are the present and we will help define the future with our collective voice on Election Day.
This year, as University of Maine students voting in our first presidential election, we have been working to register, educate, and turn out our fellow students. We do this non-partisan work because we want to see our voice and our concerns represented in American politics.
Youth ages 18 to 24 represent 12 percent of the U.S. population and account for over 30 million potential votes this election season. The 2018 midterms saw the highest youth voter turnout in 100 years. Their participation highlights not only that young Americans have the motivation to spark change on Election Day, they have the numbers to do it.
Issues that affect young people are on the ballot this November. Many young voters are looking to politicians who can reduce the cost of a four-year degree and tackle the country’s college debt crisis, which currently totals roughly $1.6 trillion and averages just under $34,000 per student in Maine. Equally important to student voters are government officials who will tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure we once again have opportunities for an in-person education.
Climate change makes the 2020 election even more critical. In the past three decades, the Gulf of Maine has warmed faster than 99 percent of the world’s oceans and three times faster than the global average. In the western United States, wildfires continue to break records. It is no longer possible to ignore the severe effects of climate change in our country. At the ballot box, young voters will elect politicians who take seriously the threat of climate change and introduce legislation to secure a more healthy future.
Through our vote, young Americans can rebuild a system to reflect the resounding calls to address racial equality. The protests this summer that followed the racially charged murders of George Floyd and other innocent people of color have made it impossible for young people to ignore the presence of racial disparities in our country. In Maine, black citizens are six times more likely to be incarcerated than white citizens, and white Mainers are only half as likely as those of color to experience poverty and unemployment. This election season, young voters are looking to politicians who will build a more equitable future and root out systemic inequalities affecting those most vulnerable.
To solve these problems and secure a better future for themselves and their nation, youth of today see voting as an opportunity for a better tomorrow.
The 2020 general election is the first chance for young people to vocalize their worldviews in a way that is widely heard and accepted by American society. Casting a ballot is their first chance to participate in large-scale change, an opportunity this generation hasn’t yet had. In this way, their vote is a unifying force.
America’s youngest voters were born in the wake of 9/11, were children during the 2008 financial collapse, and grew up in an era of gun violence and school shootings. Now, in 2020, young people are in the midst of transitioning into undergraduate life or the workforce, once again faced with unprecedented challenges, this time with the COVID-19 pandemic. Youth voters have a chance to transform their hardship into motivation this election. Combined with a mutual vision for a better future, these shared ideals will surely provide a sense of unity at the polls.
In many ways, this election season has been a call to action. When we speak with our fellow students in our work on voter engagement, they want to see the direct impact of their vote. They want to use the results of the election as a stepping stone into a brighter future. This is just the beginning.