Millennials Under Pressure
By Tim Johns, Nkiruka Omeronye, Susan Horowitz and Viktoriya Dementyeva
In the most divisive election in modern American history, Arizona millennial voters are more important than ever before.
According to data released from the U.S. Census Bureau this past April, millennials have now surpassed Baby Boomers as the largest living generation in the country.
According to data released from the U.S. Census Bureau this past April, millennials have now surpassed Baby Boomers as the largest living generation in the country.
Millennials, whom the Census Bureau defines as those aged between 18-34 in 2015, now dominate our population with around 75.4 million. This surpasses the roughly 74.9 million baby boomer generation, whom the Census defines as those between 51-69.
According to the Pew Research Center, the number of millennials in America is only expected to increase in coming years due to immigration. With those high, and only increasing population numbers, millennials have become a prominent and powerful voice in Arizona this election cycle. |
Kyle Goble is a millennial voter who cast his ballot on Election Day at a downtown Phoenix polling location. Goble says that he believes that it is more important than ever as a millennial to vote this election cycle.
“This election particularly, to me and to many millennials, has made it almost painfully obvious that in this country our two party system is so divided and the differences are so fundamental, [that] it’s your core beliefs that you’re voting on,” he said.
“This election particularly, to me and to many millennials, has made it almost painfully obvious that in this country our two party system is so divided and the differences are so fundamental, [that] it’s your core beliefs that you’re voting on,” he said.
Goble feels that what both candidates have said repeatedly over this election season about this election being a “day of reckoning” for the nation holds true.
“This is really a ‘day of reckoning,’” the 22-year-old Arizona State University graduate student said, adding, “This is a deadline to make a decision about what you believe to be fundamentally true about your beliefs and about how the country actually works. The time is up.”
Another millennial voter was 18-year-old Micayla Deck who voted for the first time today.
Goble feels that what both candidates have said repeatedly over this election season about this election being a “day of reckoning” for the nation holds true.
“This is really a ‘day of reckoning,’” the 22-year-old Arizona State University graduate student said, adding, “This is a deadline to make a decision about what you believe to be fundamentally true about your beliefs and about how the country actually works. The time is up.”
Another millennial voter was 18-year-old Micayla Deck who voted for the first time today.
Deck says that it was important for her not only as a millennial, but also as an American to get out and vote today.
“It’s important [to vote] because everybody’s voice counts. Whether you’re older or younger, everybody needs to vote because everybody needs to have their voice said,” she said. However, the social work undergraduate student also noted that there is a lot of pressure on millennials this election cycle, more so than ever before. “Looking at my peers, I do believe they feel pressured because a lot of them actually won’t come out here and vote because they feel so pressured,” she said, adding, “It’s such a big election this year because both candidates are very, very different, and it’s just a different election than there has been in the past.” |
Offering a perspective from a different generational vantage point was Diego Rodriguez, who is running for Maricopa County Attorney.
Rodriguez said he recognizes millennials as a key voting demographic this election both in Arizona and across the country. “Numerically they’re hugely important,” he said, adding, “They’re very, very informed. The millennial generation has a wealth of information at its fingertips. They’re comfortable with the internet, they’re comfortable with electronic forms of communication, so they’re really redefining how people campaign.” |
The 47-year-old Rodriguez believes that millennials are the future, and he urged them to get out and express their most basic democratic right.
“You have to vote. You’re going to be the future, and it’s vitally important that you step up to the plate,” he said, adding, “ It’s still up to you guys to do your best work, and it’s not too late to do that.” |
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