As the midterm elections came to a close last week, and the ballots rolled in some questions have risen- does your vote really count? Two students have an answer. Erica Schmitt takes the story.
[election music]
THOUGH SOME PREDICTED A RED WAVE IN LAST WEEK’S MIDTERM ELECTIONS, THE RESULTS DIDN’T EXACTLY MEET CONSERVATIVE EXPECTATIONS. IN LIGHT OF THIS NEWS, WE NEED TO ASK: WHY IS VOTING IMPORTANT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE?
WEINBERG SENIOR MADDIE BROWN IS A FELLOW FOR NU VOTES, A NON-PARTISAN STUDENT ORGANIZATION THAT PROMOTES UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE VOTING.
BROWN SAID NU VOTES WAS BACK IN PERSON FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2020. THIS YEAR, THE ORGANIZATION SAW A LARGE RESPONSIVENESS FROM STUDENTS.
[Maddie Brown] We’re really here to support students in that there was a lot of enthusiasm I noticed especially just being back in person and being able to talk to people about why Voting is important to them and what state they want to vote in and how that is impacting their decision to vote absentee or vote in person and what issues are important to them. So it was very exciting just to be back and be talking to people. We had great turnout when were you know sitting in Norris or at these student fairs like the grad student fair was great. A lot of engagement across all 50 states.
BROWN EXPLAINED THE PROCESS NU VOTES WENT THROUGH. THIS YEAR, THEY TARGETED FRESHMEN AND TRANSFER STUDENTS DURING WILDCAT WELCOME.
[MB] We cycle through the entire freshman class and get everyone registered either in Illinois or in their home state, get them to request absentee ballots. And then we spend most of October processing and mailing those forms and making sure that everyone is able to get their voice heard without the barriers of having to figure out these systems and get stamps by yourself.
WITH THE ELECTION NOW OVER, SENATE SEATS ARE SPLIT WITH 49 WON BY REPUBLICANS AND 48 FOR DEMOCRATS.THIS LEFT MANY CONSERVATIVE MEMBERS SHOCKED AS THEY ASSUMED THERE WOULD BE A QUOTE RED WAVE UNQUOTE. THE NUMBER OF
[Fox News saying “Red Wave”]
STUDENT VOTER NATALIA ZADEH SAID THE RESULTS WERE PARTIALLY DUE TO NEW GROUPS OF PEOPLE VOTING IN THE ELECTIONS, LIKE MEMBERS OF GENERATION Z.
[Natalia Zadeh] I think historically, we’ve seen these trends of, if we have like a Democratic president, say during the midterms, generally, Democrats will lose a lot of traction in the legislative branch, and vice versa, when a Republican’s in office I think they start out with the Trump administration. So to see that this like quote, red wave that Republicans have been talking about for a while, it turned into something that really was not as significant to me was one really exciting but two was in large part due to, you know, large voter turnout primarily by like, people of color and gen z.
AND THE OUTCOME OF YOUNGER VOTERS HAVING THEIR VOICE HEARD?
CONSERVATIVE RESPONSES TO THE MATTER.
SOME CONSERVATIVE POLITICIANS AND ACTIVISTS INCLUDING BRIGITTE GABRIEL ARE CALLING TO QUOTE CHANGE THE VOTING AGE TO 21 UNQUOTE. BUT, ZADEH SEES THROUGH THE ARGUMENT.
[NZ] If you enlist in the military and like die for your country, you should be able to vote, right, like you pay taxes at 18. I think the very basis of our country was like no taxation without representation. So I think it’s stupid. I think it’s a play to you know, conserve the red power, and it didn’t work.
SIMILARLY, BROWN THINKS IT PROVES THAT PEOPLE FEAR THE POWER OF YOUTH.
[MB] When young people coalesce around issues what that what our voices can do and what what kind of change we can enact in the society where we make our voices heard, and change the voting age to 21 is a is a fear of 18 to 20 year olds who are very progressive, voting democratic, and yet present a threat to the conservative agenda, which is not popular and is oppressive.
THOUGH ZADEH WAS NOT SURPRISED.
[NZ] To see them not going nearly as many yards as they thought they would was interesting to see how they responded to that. I thought because it was very aggressive and like, I think the rhetoric of how they’ve responded has been, I mean, I think it’s a testament to the party.
SOME OF THE RHETORIC RAISES QUESTIONS OF WHETHER CONSERVATIVE POLICIES ARE AS POPULAR AS MANY SAY, ESPECIALLY FOR BROWN’S PERSONAL POLITICAL BELIEFS.
[MB] They’re winning through gerrymandering and voter suppression and restrictive laws and I mean, in Kentucky, Kentucky struck down a policy that would have restricted abortion. Like policies against freedom and against people’s voices aren’t popular and when conservatives are faced with that they react in strange ways.
NORTHWESTERN STUDENTS ARE KNOWN FOR BEING POLITICALLY ENGAGED. ACCORDING TO BROWN, IN 2016, 70% OF ALL ELIGIBLE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS VOTED IN ILLINOIS OR THEIR HOME STATE.
[Checking ballot sound]
[NZ] I think we have the power to make a lot of change and to affect these elections a lot more than people realize. And I think that’s sort of what was realized in the midterms now. So I’d say yeah, I think that if more young people vote and if they continue to vote, we will definitely see like a continuing trend, like going more blue.
ZADEH SAID SHE THINKS GROWING UP IN OUR GENERATION WAS DURING A WEIRD TIME POLITICALLY.
[NZ] I think it’s made a lot of us like really cynical about voting, because we’re like, it’s not gonna make much of an impact like we’re already I mean, half of the people in our government a lot of people in their government already like borderline fascist, like what exactly is my one vote gonna do? But I think that attitude, one generally come from a place of privilege but also just isn’t true. And I think that it represents a trend of like, sort of apathy.
[election music]
ULTIMATELY, BROWN URGES STUDENTS TO VOTE AND HOPES TO CONTINUE INCREASING ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL PEOPLE ON CAMPUS.
FROM WNUR NEWS, ERICA SCHMITT
