What Gen Z’s Nontraditional Voting Could Mean This November

Delaney Single

June 23, 2024

As the 2024 election approaches, the first presidential debate has been scheduled for June 27th. In this greatly anticipated debate, Republican, former President Donald Trump will debate his opponent, Democrat, President Joseph Biden. The candidates are both repeat nominees for their respective parties, with Trump being the Republican nominee for a third time. Excluded from the debate is Robert F. Kennedy Junior, grandson of President JFK. The independent candidate claims he was left out, stating, “[Trump and Biden are] trying to exclude me from their debate because they are afraid I would win” according to Politico.

Opinions on the traditional two-party candidates have evolved since the 2020 election. According to The Hill “polls have also suggested Biden could be losing ground among young voters, with an NBC News poll in November finding Trump leading Biden by 4 percentage points among voters under 35.”

Conversely, in 2020, “65% of those between the ages of 18 and 24 voted for Biden” according to NBC. 

Many young voters who appeared decisive towards Biden in 2020 seem to have changed their minds. So why are so many voters, particularly the younger generations, disheartened from voting for the traditional two-party choices? 

Some may be leaning away from Biden due to his support for Israel. According to Reuters, “Younger Democrats and people of color oppose his approach, disturbed by a rising death toll from Israel’s retaliation in Gaza.” The conflict in Gaza has proven to be quite influential in the younger generations' political choices.

Many are dissatisfied with Donald Trump as well. In May Trump was convicted “on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records” as stated by CNN.  

Social media may be amplifying this dissatisfaction. On TikTok political content and discussions are not uncommon, and now, even influencers not known for political content have joined in on the upcoming election’s discourse. Tiktoker Lexi Hidalgo, who has amassed over 2.5 million TikTok followers, stated in a recent TikTok video, “We live in a country where there is not a singular good candidate [for president].”

There is only a mere matter of months till the 2024 presidential election; What will these displeased voters do, particularly those residing in swing states? 

Some voters turn away from voting for the Republican or Democrat parties altogether. According to Harvard Kennedy School, “Biden’s advantage over Trump narrows substantially when potential independent candidates Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Joe Manchin, and Cornel West are introduced.”

Independent candidates are often present in elections, but Robert F. Kennedy has shown to have a rather unprecedented pull on voters who are seemingly uncontent with either Trump or Biden. In fact, The New York Times states, “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is polling stronger than any third-party candidate has in decades, pulling in roughly 10 percent of registered voters across the battleground states.”

These swing states are seen as crucial in the election and many worry about what a third-party candidate could do in terms of “splitting the vote.” In reality, it is unlikely that Robert F. Kennedy would win the election as he did not even qualify for the upcoming presidential debate due to his not meeting the “polling criteria” established by CNN. Many however do remain steadfast in their support of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

One 26-year-old man, according to Reuters, states “I've been drawn to really anybody in any party who speaks to disaffected voters like myself” in speaking about why he supports RFK. 

In this election, young voters may consider alternatives to the traditional two-party system. The effects of this potential choice are yet to come. 

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