With the midterms mere days away, University of Denver students face a mix of emotions from enthusiasm to fear as they fill out their ballots. Whether registered to vote in Colorado or elsewhere, youth voters could be the deciding factor for state races, national elections and ballot initiatives.
Youth voter turnout has surged in recent years in part due to the political engagement of GenZ, which is the most racially diverse generational group in U.S. history. In 2018, young voter turnout (determined by those in the Millennial and GenZ range of 18-to-40-years-old) reached 41 percent, relative to only 26 percent in 2014.
GenZ voter participation is especially important in Colorado this year, according to Tufts, which classifies the state as ‘critical’ for youth electoral significance. Colorado had the third-highest youth voter turnout in the country for both 2018 (41%) and 2020 (63%).
The continuing trend of youth voter participation remains up for debate this midterm cycle. According to the Washington Post, nearly 40% of young adults stated interest in midterm election news and 43% of young adults said they intended to vote or already voted.
Driving this engagement are political concerns over inflation and reproductive rights. In a Washington Post poll, nearly one in four youth voters named inflation as their primary concern, whereas 11% of youth voters stated reproductive rights is the most important voting issue. This tracks with general young adult dissatisfaction with the Supreme Court; approximately 65% of young adults opposed the Dobbs decision. Nearly 50% of young adult voters, both Democrat and Republican-affiliated, hold an unfavorable view of the court.
Another factor for this year’s youth voter participation rate is GenZ perceptions of President Biden. While voter turnout for those under 30 was 11 points higher in 2020 during the presidential election than in prior elections, Biden’s approval rating for youth voters took a sharp dip this past year. As a result, doubts remain over GenZ intentions to vote in the midterms.
For some University of Denver students, however, emotions about the election are more of a driving factor than candidate policies. Jessie Dabrowski, a sophomore international studies and public policy major, expressed apprehension towards the electoral process for this year’s midterms. As a Texas resident, Dabrowski explained the state-appointed Election Integrity Team is meant to monitor polling security, but her concerns are more focused on potential hostilities directed toward voters.
“There’s already been news reports published about voter harassment in Austin and Dallas, and my hometown is no different. People in my area are already on edge as it is. I might be worried for no reason, but the fact that I can’t confidently say no one will get hurt makes me worry in the first place,” said Dabrowski.
For other students, this year marks their first chance to vote in a major state and national election. Ellen Jensen, a freshman international studies major, explained her pure enthusiasm for being able to participate in the democratic process this year.
“I’m so excited to vote and am just finishing up filling out my ballot now. I’ve been very interested in politics for a couple years now, so finally getting to participate in our democracy has been a long time coming,” said Jensen.
While it is too late for Colorado voters to mail in a ballot at this point, election polling stations and voter registration remain open until 7 p.m. on Election Day.
