Politics of the young mirrors that of older voters

LEESBURG — While discussing politics with my family, my almost-30-year-old brother asked me, “Who are young people voting for?”

I said something noncommittal and waved it off at the time, but the question sparked my interest. Who are the people I walk the cramped halls of Lee County High School with backing? Of course, only about one-fourth of the school is eligible to vote (thank God), and not all of those eligible take the trip to the polls. If my math is correct (it usually isn’t), that leaves approximately 150 potential voters surrounding me.

The fact that the state primaries have already come and gone may be a deterrent for some — all it takes is a quick Google search to find out who came out on top and by what margin. However, the purpose of this study is not only to explore who young people are voting for but to understand why.

To conduct this study, I approached friends, acquaintances and complete strangers and asked them if they would like to answer a few questions. Though most were less than enthusiastic, I received many more responses than I had anticipated. In fact, there were a few students who seemed as if they had been waiting for someone, anyone, to ask them to share their political views.

Over the course of a week, random high school seniors were asked two questions: “Who are you voting for?” and “Why?”

The responses were somewhat disappointing. About one-quarter of those surveyed said that they were abstaining. Many respondents stated simply, “I just don’t care enough.” Others chose to abstain for other reasons, the primary one being that none of the candidates fit with all of their views.

Senior John McClung had the opposite problem, stating, “I support anyone who runs because they’re taking part in the political process. Trump is the most independent-minded of all the candidates, but I also like Bernie (Sanders) because I love an underdog.”

McClung’s comments about Hillary Clinton included, “She helped with Obama’s foreign policy, which has been a bit of a joke. Also, she looks like a nagging grandma to me.”

Those who did choose a candidate often did so half-heartedly. Most who chose a Republican candidate other than Trump did so only so that Trump would not win the nomination. While this effort was futile, it is admirable in that at least people know who they don’t want.

Almost all of those who did identify as Trump supporters had the same response as Nicholas Cordoba, who said simply, “He’s bold.”

Interestingly, Cordoba was one of the only Trump supporters who chose to provide his name. In fact, all respondents who asked to remain anonymous also identified as Trump supporters. I would venture to say that if someone is fit to run the country, his supporters should not feel as if they have to be closeted.

While many identified as Trump supporters, Sanders was the most-picked candidate. This did not come as a surprise, as I had assumed that young people across the board would tend to be slightly more liberal than older voters. However, I wasn’t sure whether Clinton or Sanders would come out on top.

Unlike Clinton, Sanders is extremely hip with millennials. Anyone with a Twitter or Tumblr account can’t open the apps without seeing a picture of Sanders or his slogan, “Feel the Bern.”

Senior Will VanBrackle chose Sanders with the comment, “I’m a Democrat, and Hillary freaks me out.”

Other students agreed, selecting Sanders solely based on the belief that any Democratic candidate is better than Clinton.

Overall, the students surveyed were more informed than I had expected them to be. Of course, there were notable exceptions. One student asked, “Who is the black candidate?” After I replied that his name is Ben Carson, he said, “Put me down for Carson, then, because he’s black. Black power.”

Another student asked me which candidate I support, and then said he agreed with whatever I thought. How flattering.

I found that the opinions of the young people around me aren’t much different from their older counterparts. There seems to be one area in which everyone can agree — in the words of Genessa Bagain, “This country is going to hell.”

Rosemary Scott is a senior at Lee County High School.