What issues matter to you the most in this election? Why?
Personally, climate change has been [important to me], as well as LGBTQ+ and women’s rights issues. Climate change just because of the future in general, and women’s and LGBTQ+ issues because those are something that I relate to personally. Laws around those issues will affect me in my own life.
How do those issues connect to your life and the lives of those you care about?
A lot of my friends are also women or LGBTQ+, and laws stemming from those issues are also going to affect them. And obviously, Clayton is pretty liberal for being in Missouri, so it’s a pretty common belief that my peers and I share.
When did you first start caring about these issues? Was there an event that happened or a conversation you had that piqued your interest?
From a very young age because [politics are] so relevant to things that I experience firsthand. With something like climate change or economics as a kid, it’s hard to see them if you are middle class, it’s hard to see how these issues are going to affect you right now and [how] they’re gonna affect you personally. But with more social issues like racism, it isn’t something I connect with, but I know that’s also something that’s just [as] important to [people from] such a young age. It has to be just because that’s what they deal with.
If you could take a class on one or more of these issues or dig deeper through your own research, what else would you want to know? What questions would you want answered?
I think history classes would be really important. A lot of people [might] know what’s happening now, but they don’t know how it got there, why things are the way they are. I’d say I’m pretty well educated, but [not as well as] things like [the] history of Roe v Wade, for example. We know it got overturned, but how was it passed in the first place in the 70s?
What issues do other young people around you seem to be concerned with, whether you agree with them or not? In other words, when your friends and classmates are discussing something politics-related, what’s the conversation usually about?
I think women’s rights [are] something that people around me are concerned about. I don’t think that younger people are as invested in the election. I think the younger generation of voters has definitely increased just because of social media and how [it’s present in] this current election. You can see clips on TikTok of debates. I think human rights issues are [something] that people around me care about as well. There are sometimes little discussions about AI and economics and stuff like that, but it’s not really as much [as it could be].
Do you think people your age can affect meaningful change regarding these issues? Why or why not? Have you ever taken any steps to try to address these problems?
I believe they can, and I think that right now, especially with social media, there are so many opportunities to make change, even just locally in your community. Attending a rally or protest is quite accessible and easy to go to, and I think those do make a meaningful change. Even if it doesn’t affect laws, it may affect other people who may be on the fence about an issue if you educate and you use your voice. I haven’t been to any voter rallies, but I was recently at a demonstration for Palestine and issues happening there with regard to WashU and how they’re funding that and Planned Parenthood pro-abortion rights protests. I volunteer with Planned Parenthood as well. They have a teen volunteer group that [are] cool. I would consider myself pretty active in community and local politics.
Have you been following the presidential race? Do you know where the two candidates, former President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, stand on your issues? Which candidate, if either, do you think will make positive changes to the things you care about? Why?
Not as much as I’d like to. I think Kamala would [make positive changes] for sure. For me, it’s on, economic and global policy. I personally would vote for someone more left-leaning than her. I think her policies are much more pro-LGBTQ+ [and] much more pro-women’s rights [in terms of] access to health care for both those groups. [I also agree with her] immigration policies, just from a humanitarian standpoint.
Are there other candidates for local, state or federal offices who have the power to make positive change about the issues that matter most to you? Who are they, and why do you hope they are elected?
Jill Stein: she’s a leftist federal candidate for the Green Party. She is socially and geopolitically and economically someone who I believe in. I don’t think she’s going to win selection, and I don’t know if people like her ever well, but if there was a world, she’s someone who I would absolutely believe in to make positive change.
Do you think young voters will be energized by the 2024 election? Do you predict that they will be motivated to vote this year? Why or why not?
I think for sure because with TikTok, there are so many memes, like “Kamala is brat”; I think just getting the election to connect with [issues] that are so relevant in young people’s lives makes them excited to vote and excited to share their opinions. I saw a yard sign a couple of weeks ago that said “Kamala is brat.” And I think that it’ll really help young voters go out and make a change.
