The 2020 election is already gearing up, and its outcome is poised to affect the makeup of the Supreme Court, legislative priorities, and the American and world economies for decades. Today’s high schoolers in particular can expect to be impacted by it, as its outcome will affect tax rates, welfare eligibility, and job prospects as they enter the workforce as adults.
Current and recently graduated high schoolers born on or before Nov. 3, 2002 will be able to cast a vote, meaning one in 10 eligible voters will be members of Generation Z, and every older generation will make up a smaller share of the electorate than they did in 2016.
Oregon in particular has a unique system of voter registration which automatically registers everyone to vote who has a driver’s license, allows voting by mail, and allows people as young as 16 to register to vote and join a political party.
Granted, the candidates who will be voted on in the 2020 general election have not yet been determined. Given Oregon only allows people registered to a political party to vote in that party’s primary, voters wishing to vote in either the Democratic or Republican primary must register to the appropriate party three weeks before the primary election on May 19 next year.
The primary campaigns are just now underway, and things are getting contentious. Precedent would suggest President Trump will be renominated by the Republican party, and he currently has no serious Republican challengers, but the Democratic field is wide open.
Polling for the Democratic race consistently indicates four candidates leading the pack: Vice President Joe Biden, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, California Senator Kamala Harris, and Texas Representative Beto O’Rourke. Of these, all but Vice President Biden have declared they are running.
Other declared Democrats include Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, and Washington Governor Jay Inslee.
The election is already in several students’ minds. Senior Kenny Wilson is shocked by Donald Trump, considering him to be a “disgustingly unqualified demagogue” like who never should have made it anywhere near the presidency.” He plans to vote for whomever the Democratic nominee is, declaring that “at this point, there are no Democrats worse than Trump.”
Nonetheless, he is fully vested in the primary election and looks forward to casting a vote in it. Citing concern about money in politics and his support for a single payer healthcare system, Wilson likes Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, but thinks his ideas are too popular and have become the norm amongst the other candidates, and he will “suffer from his own success in 2016.”
Wilson calls Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard a “perfect progressive, if not for her record on Syria and gay rights,” and considers California Senator Kamala Harris “impressive.” He is most concerned about Democratic candidates whose voting records and campaign contributions do not line up with the progressive image they project, mentioning Texas Representative Beto O’Rourke as an example of this.
Meanwhile, Junior Madeline Getz similarly dislikes the president. She disagrees with his border policy, although agrees with the intent to tighten security. She further dislikes his tax cuts, because they “favor the wealthy, increase our nation’s debts, and undermine the strength of our social programs.” She elaborates that “as a national ambassador [she] finds him unprofessional.”
In the Democratic primaries, she supports Texas Representative Beto O’Rourke, because his “more Republican economic policy emphasizes his ability as a compromiser, he has firsthand knowledge of the border, and he would be willing to cooperate with legislators to be an effective leader.” She also notes how he is less polarizing and thus widely appealing and would be a polished speaker with international appeal. While she will not be 18 during the Democratic primary, she “will definitely vote” in the general election.
She is most concerned about supporting school systems, increasing healthcare programs, destigmatizing mental health issues, strengthening women’s reproductive rights, ensuring diverse ethnic and LGBT representation, addressing climate change, increasing civic interest among young adults, and increasing funding for the FDA and autonomous research.
Across the aisle, Senior Sam Rossback says he “likes Donald Trump as president,” and appreciates many of his economic policies in particular, but does not like him as a person because “we need someone who will unite us, and he is driving the left further left and the right further right.”
Citing the health and security of the economy as the most important things influencing his vote, he does plan on voting for President Trump over the Democratic nominee.
Asked about Generation Z as a whole, Rossback claims his peers are “concerned about the growing extremism on both sides of the political aisle, and the health and safety of the American public as a whole.” He thinks Generation Z specifically is concerned about mental health, and how society can help those who are suffering.
Secondarily, he thinks “we are worried about gun control, and our generation is pretty split about this issue.” He does reference a general consensus in favor of gun control, noting the “huge amounts of participators in the walkout last year,” but anticipates a backlash to this in the future.
Wilson thinks Generation Z is “affected most by the cost of college tuition and medical costs they may be footing for their older relatives.” He thinks the majority of new voters will head to the left, simply because of President Trump’s unpopularity. However, he is concerned many young people will “make last minute, uninformed decisions on candidates with the strongest social media presence or vote with their parents.”
Getz thinks “Generation Z will be major advocates for change, more inclined to consider climate change and its effects, unafraid to confront pressing issues. They will be interesting because our current political climate is so polarizing, so many have become devoted and engage or dismissed politics altogether as too controversial or convoluted. It will be interesting to see the lasting effects.”
