Wisconsin youth vote, election impact in battleground state
MILWAUKEE - Numbers show that support from young voters helped Joe Biden win the presidency in 2020.
It's an age group that often sits out elections; U.S. Census data showed about 51% of people between the ages of 18 and 24 voted in 2020. But in a state like Wisconsin, where elections are decided by a sliver, young voters could help decide who wins the state.
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"Wisconsin is, like, very swinging on elections, so kind of learning that my vote’s going to matter a lot more than it will matter in the overall election kind of is a jarring thing to think about," said Steven Odjedele, a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee computer science student.
The national group DoSomething.org was on UWM's campus on Wednesday to ask young people to share their pressing issues. The group also registered people to vote.
DoSomething.org voter event at UWM
"It’s a beautiful thing," the organization's Rohan Gupta said. "Everyone has issues that they care about, everyone’s passionate about something, and seeing them sometimes for the very first time begin to make those connections: I care about this in my community, here’s what I can do about it, here’s how this might relate to the politics."
As of Sept. 1, of Wisconsin’s 3.5 million registered voters, 7.8% are in the 18-24 age group – that's roughly 276,000 voters.
Registered voters ages 18-24 in Wisconsin
National poll
A new Harvard University poll of voters ages 30 and under found Vice President Kamala Harris leading former President Donald Trump. Fifty-two percent backed Harris, compared to 29% for Trump – but 14% reported they don't know or refused to say. The poll also found support for Jill Stein (2%), Cornel West (2%) and Chase Oliver (1%).
"It’s really on how they are going about the community, how they want to rebuild our community and the future for our kids," said Elegant Johnson, a Milwaukee voter who told FOX6 News he is undecided. "I have a son and nieces and nephews, so it’s really how they go about building a future, about the kids, the community, rebuild it."
Harvard poll of voters 30 and under
Harvard’s public opinion project found a big gender gap among young, likely voters. Harris leads Trump among women in that category 70% to 23%, while for men in the same category Harris leads Trumps 53% to 36%.
With so many young people still saying they're undecided, there's still room for campaigns to win votes.
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"I hear stories from many different sides. I am very not into politics, but I know I’m going to vote, because I know my work matters, but I am still very undecided," said Joseph Velasquez, an undecided first-time voter who is a UWM computer science student. "I have other friends who vote for someone else, and I have family and other friends voting for someone else, so I feel like I’m stuck."
There is also an enthusiasm gap among young voters; the survey found 74% of young Democrats said they will definitely vote, compared to 60% of young Republicans.
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Young voters are also weighing the issues.
"I’m thinking of everyday prices: grocery store prices, housing prices. I’m worried I’m never going to be able to afford a house. And that’s something that is horrifying," said UWM business student Ryan Doyle.
Overall, among likely voters under 30, Harris has a 31-point lead over Trump. It's smaller (23 points) among registered voters of the same age.
That second margin is on par with what exit polls showed President Biden won of the group in 2020. That year, 59% of those aged 18-29 said they voted for Biden, while 35% said they voted for Trump, according to the Pew Research Center.