Young voters, including many of color, turned out in record numbers this election and overwhelmingly supported the Democratic ticket, helping to push projected election winners Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to secure the highest offices in the U.S.“This victory belongs to young people,” said Rachel Fleischer, executive director of the Washington-based youth advocacy group Young Invincibles, in a statement released Saturday. “Young voters … came out in force and continue to actively shape the future of our country. Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump attend a ‘Stop the Steal’ protest outside the Wisconsin State Capitol, following the announcement that U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has won the 2020 election, in Madison, Wisconsin.Jackie Juergensen, a junior at University of Maryland who also voted for Trump, said, “A big issue that was important to me this election was voting pro-life. Trump is one of the most pro-life presidents we’ve had in recent history.” The youth vote was particularly strong among young people of color. An analysis from CIRCLE showed major impact by youth of color in key battleground states, such as Georgia, Arizona and Pennsylvania. In North Carolina and Georgia, for example, 90% or more of Black youths voted for Biden, while more than half of white youths supported Trump, CIRCLE reported.
“Let me be extremely clear: It was Black youth in places like Michigan, Wisconsin and Georgia that made the difference in the youth vote in this election they deserve massive credit …” tweeted David Hogg, a youth activist who was at Marjory Stoneham Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in 2018 during a mass shooting.“We have a lot more work to do but I just wanted to say I am so thankful to all of the gun violence survivors the parents that have gone through unimaginable trauma and pain and have had to push for this for decades we have to hold Joe Biden accountable but this is a big win,” Hogg tweeted from a celebratory crowd in Washington. We have a lot more work to do but I just wanted to say I am so thankful to all of the gun violence survivors the parents that have gone through unimaginable trauma and pain and have had to push for this for decades we have to hold Joe Biden accountable but this is a big win. pic.twitter.com/1dGA9VhDvP— David Hogg Vote 🗳 (@davidhogg111) November 7, 2020Cameron Emamdjomeh, a student at Louisiana State University who said he voted for Biden, said in an interview, “I voted because I feel it is important for our voices to be heard and to participate in the election. One way the election could impact me is the way that COVID is taken care of. I am so tired of this pandemic.” Voutsinas-Klose said he was “extremely happy” about the projected Biden victory. “However, I’m disheartened by some Democratic losses down-ballot and the likelihood that [Kentucky Senator] Mitch McConnell keeps the Senate. “The fact that this election was as close as it was is a testament to the deep problems facing this country,” he said. “We have a lot more work to do to save our planet, recover from coronavirus and help the poor.”
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