Friday is the last day of early voting. Jillian Hodges just finished up her shift as a nanny. Thursday evening, she stood in line at Market Street near the Texas Tech campus. She would have come earlier but the icy roads freaked her out after she slid off the highway.
Four years ago, Jillian was 17—not quite old enough to vote—nonetheless she was a stanch Trump supporter along with the rest of her family in El Paso. “I remember being so excited about Trump winning…ugh that’s so gross to even say,” she said.
This year, she’s not voting for Donald Trump. She says four years of bad encounters with Trump supporters in Lubbock has changed her mind.
“I hate living here. I’m so excited to move,” Jillian said. “There’s a lot of racist people here.” Today will be her first time voting.
Jillian is a Zoomer—more properly known as generation Z. A Zoomer is anyone born after 1996. They grew up with social media—their platform of choice is TikTok.
The internet has given them unfiltered information. And at school active shooter drills are a thing. This generation is engaged and, in cases like the students at Stoneman Douglas High School—they’re enraged.
This year, they’re voting for president.
Jack Lewis graduated from Lubbock High School last year. He’s been living in Boston but decided to fly back to Lubbock to vote. This election season is personal to him. “I want to make sure that my vote is counted,” he said.
In a recent Facebook post, Jack shared a section from the GOP’s website titled: Marriage, Family and Society.
“It’s a part of their official platform that they want to overturn the landmark 2015 Supreme Court decision for equal marriage rights,” he recalled.
Jack is gay, and he feels a vote for the republican party is a vote against his rights. Texas Tech Public Media surveyed 115 Gen Z residents in Lubbock. Over 80 included rights for the LGBTQ community as an issue they care about.
Climate change, healthcare and racism were others listed several times.
“If you look at Texas under the age of 24,” said Joshua Blank with the Texas Political Project, “65 percent are non-white.” That leads to a more democratic electorate coming up, according to Blank. “Based on the partisan appeals that both parties can make and are making to people of color.”
Already in Texas, youth voter turnout is two-thirds higher than it was at this time in 2016, according to a recent analysis. But Blank says that typically when voter turnout is high among younger voters, it’s high among all voters. Especially since older voters are consistent.
The reason for this, Blank said is, “They’ve paid more taxes. Maybe they’ve sent their kids to public schools and they have more life experiences that draw them into the political process.”
So, high turnout among young constituents may not serve as a predictor. It could however have an impact down the line. “Once young people start voting, they’re more likely to vote again,” he said.
Texas Tech senior, Grace While said she’s always been excited to vote. When it comes to her political beliefs, she’s often heard the line, “you’ll understand when you’re older.”
“Just because I’m 20,” she said, “doesn’t mean the way I want my country to be led is any less valid. So, I’m excited to vote.”
Jillian and Grace cast their ballots during early voting. Jack will land in Lubbock the day before elections and plans to vote on election day. His prediction for election night: “I think democrats are going to have a good night on the third. And I’m glad to be a part of that.”
Early voting ends Friday. As of Thursday evening, Lubbock city reported 66,916 unofficial early voters.
Have a news tip? Email Kaysie Ellingson at kaysie.ellingson@ttu.edu. Follow her reporting on Twitter @KaysieEllingson.
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