As Senior Khalil Harris walks into his state’s election voting center, his main focus in choosing a candidate is policies over personality.
“I’m looking more into their policies, not their personality; their personality is a front, something they put on for the camera,” he said. “I’m looking into what you have done before you got into the presidential election.”
Khalil, as many other Gen Z voters, will change the world with the most new voters in voting history, according to the article Youth and the 2024 Election
“In the past decade, young people have risen to the forefront of civic and political life in the United States. They have led major movements for action on issues like gun violence, climate, and racial justice. They have voted at historic rates compared to youth in previous decades, and their choices on the ballot have influenced key elections”
New Gen Z voters have goals for this country; Tionna Hall, a new voter, has things she is looking forward to changing in the next four years, she said.
“How people are getting treated, how people disagree on things, everyone getting on one page; I think that will be good for everyone moving forward, it’ll make things a little bit better then what we’ve been going through in the past.”
Senior Taylor Deloney is hoping for a more affordable economy, she said.
“I’m hoping to look for better living situations for people. The rent has shot up over the roof and it has been a lot harder for people to handle those bills. Along with light bills, water, sewage stuff like that.”
Deloney added what she is looking for in a President.
“I feel more confident in someone who isn’t going to pretty much destroy our Democracy and put in a policy that wouldn’t destroy the lives of the middle class or lower. I feel like it should be someone who is going to support the rights of women because as a female myself, I do in the future hopefully hope to find someone and have children but by choice; someone who’s looking out for equal rights for all people and not just those who are in higher class and have money.”
One issue for some new voters is the war in Gaza. Outside the Democratic National Convention, there was a new voter who goes by the name Member Of Society.
“I’ll vote the moment that a canidate stops getting on their knees for a genocide. Until then I don’t feel well agreeing with a genocide of my palestinian sisters and brothers, they’re just important as us American bodies and you can’t get bobbed down in allusions taught to you by your government, that you as a human being are separate from human beings out in palestine. They’re being murdered!”
When he was questioned about what he thought about the candidates running in the race, he said “I think both candidates serve capitalism and exploitation. The government as it currently stands is only designed to protect us small minorities’ ability to conquer the entire world, that is why we fund our military so heavenly instead of giving the poor houses, giving the people health care; because of a small group of people that need to conquer the world place up property lines and make people work for a living or else they starve.”
Conflicts overseas also concern Deloney.
“Honestly I truly feel like all we can do is sympathize for them. As Americans we can do so much as to help them. And from what I’ve seen, those who are able to help are the ones causing such a tragedy to the people of Palestine and Gaza,” she said. “Not only that, people of America who aren’t in power have our own issues with our government and have to deal with them even if we don’t want to. There is just very little we can do for people overseas and our own problems do sadly get in the way especially when our money we give to our government is being used to harm and not help!”
