The youth vote is often a contentious topic in elections. Gen Z turned out in significant numbers in the last general election, with 2020 seeing one of the highest rates of youth voter participation.

In the 2022 midterm election, voters under 30 continued to strongly support Democrats, voting 68% to 31% for Democratic candidates according to the Pew Research Center.

Polls also show a gender divide among young voters, with young women largely supporting Vice President Kamala Harris, while young men are leaning toward former President Donald Trump.

Both candidates are targeting younger audiences to receive the youth vote: Harris through appearances on platforms like TikTok and through podcasts like “Call Her Daddy,” and Trump engaging with personalities like Bryce Hall and being on the “Full Send Podcast.”

Many University of Arizona students who are independents voting for Democrats, along with those registered as Democrats, said they’re supporting Harris because of her progressive stance on issues like reproductive rights. UA students who are independents voting for Republicans and registered Republicans said they’re voting for former President Donald Trump, attracted to his focus on the economy.

Eleanor Cornish is a sophomore at the University of Arizona and a registered Democrat. She said that reproductive rights is a top concern for her.

“I feel like reproductive rights are a really key issue for many women and while that is important to some men, it doesn’t directly affect them as much, [so] they might be less inclined to vote on that issue. Some men may also not want to vote for a woman for president,” Cornish said.

Zuleyka Alvarado, a freshman at the UA who is an independent-voting Democrat, had similar thoughts.

“A lot of more progressive views focus on women, so it directly impacts women. Obviously it’s for their [women’s] own rights, ” Alvarado said.

She also mentioned that Proposition 139 was a big issue for her since it would make abortion a Constitutional right in Arizona.

Registered Republican and student Hannah Vusiyo is from Connecticut but registered to vote in Arizona because of its swing state status. Vusiyo said she believes her vote carries more weight in Arizona, where the outcome could lean either red or blue, whereas Connecticut is reliably blue. The economy is Vusiyo’s top issue.

“Inflation and money are important to me,” Vusiyo said. “I want things to be cheaper.”

In response to the Harris campaign’s heavy focus on abortion and reproductive rights, Vusiyo said, “Trump’s leaving abortion up to each state individually and I think that’s great. I mean Connecticut is a Democratic state, so nothing would affect me there.”

Esteban Macias is a sophomore at UA and an independent voting Republican in the upcoming election and, similarly to Vusiyo, placed importance on the economy.

“Inflation is most important to me. Seeing how the two presidential candidates are dealing with that and their policies,” Macias said. “Seeing both perspectives and experiencing both sides of how the Biden-Harris administration did and how the Trump administration did, we just saw a better economic time during Trump. We saw a more peaceful time, we saw a better economy and there is just more hope that way, compared to Harris where there was a lot more inflation. To me, it seems kind of untrustful of her [Harris] claiming that she is going to do all this stuff.”

Despite the divisiveness in the heat of this election, the students interviewed talked about how excited they were to be voting in their first general election.

“I am really excited particularly because it is such an important election and I’ve been really invested in politics for a really long time so it’s really exciting to have my voice be heard,” Cornish said. “[The UA] has been a really great environment for voices to be heard.”

Macias also appreciates the open-minded environment at the university.

“I find a lot of people here that are very accepting and understanding that I am a Republican voter,” Macias said.

First-time voter Jacob Avila shared how daunting the experience of voting can be at first.

“It’s something I am still learning about because it is the first time so it’s not going to be perfect, ” Avila said.

He continued that modern politics is difficult, with issues ranging from international conflicts to domestic debates on abortion, it is hard for young voters to find out who to vote for. However, he said he is still excited to be able to exercise his right.

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