America is 24 hours away from what is arguably the most consequential election of a generation on Tuesday,  Nov. 5, the question yet to be answered is whether young voters will turn out.

Unfortunately, according to Tufts Tisch College, only 50% of American citizens ages 18-29 voted in the 2020 presidential election. 

Data shows that voters under 30 can play a pivotal role if all of them vote, but many young people are having complex feelings about the candidates and the divisive issues in our society.

For many young people, the 2024 presidential election will be their first opportunity to  cast a ballot. 

Monroe Valazquez, a University of Arizona sophomore majoring in political science, is excited and ready to participate.

“I am Hispanic and a woman, and I just feel like my views are more aligned with being a Democrat,” she said. 

Valazquez was born and raised in Phoenix, in a mostly conservative family, and said she feels the weight of her choice to vote Democrat..

 “My family is very conservative, so that’s definitely something that is not easy,” she said. “We don’t really talk about it and keep (politics) to yourself.”

Valazquez said she plans to vote for  Vice President Kamala Harris and Tim Walz because of Harris’ views on women’s rights and immigration. She said she believes that her vote is crucial because young adults will be a huge factor in this year’s election. But Velazquez said voting in this election feels like her personal duty as an American citizen. Voting also is an opportunity for her to advocate for issues she believes can help our society become a better place.
UA freshman business major and registered Republican John Paul Day decided to vote in Arizona rather than at home in Pasadena, California. He said he plans to vote for former President Donald Trump. 

“Voting is a duty as a U.S. person,” he said. 

Day said economic issues, such as the high cost of housing and inflation, are what should make young adults head to the polls to elect Trump for a second term. Day also sees how social media and political ads can have an effect on an individual and sway them to a certain candidate. 

“I’m on my phone quite a bit, and I see political ads all the time on social media. I even saw a couple of advertisements during the World Series,” he said.

Day said he believes that everyone should use their right as an American citizen to vote and to encourage those around them to vote, as well.

The influence of social media has played a critical role among some young adult voters, influencing how they see a candidate. Sarah Morrison, an administrative assistant for the UA Mathematics Department, said she believes that social media in some instances might even “guilt you” into voting. 

“I think it depends on where you are and who you’re surrounded by. Because guilt can definitely be a factor,” she said. “With all the phone calls, ads on social media or television, knocking on doors, that can definitely add some guilt by not voting.”

Morrison also believes that young voters will play a big role in this year’s election.

“I would say as long as everyone is informed and voting. I know for sure the younger generation is going to be a main factor,” she said.

Seihi Butler, a 2014 University of Arizona alumnus, had been voting in every election over the last 20 years. 

He cast his first ballot in 2000, because he disagreed with the Iraq War and opposed President George W. Bush. Butler is now affiliated with the Libertarian Party and plans to cast his vote for a third-party candidate because he dislikes both Harris and Trump.

“Undecided or independent voters are like the ones that decided the election,” he said.

Other young voters like Nisha Ranganath, a senior psychology major, doesn’t pay attention to social media’s influence and constant candidate ads. Ranganathm is voting for Harris because of her stance on public education and abortion rights and strays from viewing political advertisements online. 

“Social media had no effect on me,” she said.

Ranganath voted for her first time in 2022, supporting Mark Kelly’s U.S. Senate bid, but she almost skipped this year’s election.

“I just picked the lesser of two evils,” she admitted, adding that her focus was on electing a president she feels can protect her career plans in special education, a topic she believes that Republicans do not really care about.

Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.