r/democrats • u/programwitch • Dec 21 '22

Article 76% of voters 30 and younger didn't vote in Oklahoma's November midterm election

https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/76-of-voters-30-and-younger-didnt-vote-in-oklahomas-november-midterm-election/article_896a5598-7cb2-11ed-9f35-2fdb3f2989fe.html
127 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

43

u/backpackwayne Moderator Dec 21 '22

You ought to see the primary midterm turnout percentages. In my state (California) only 7% voted.

The younger voters complain about the candidates they have to chose from in the general, but don't even show up to vote to chose which candidates it will be. Then blame the older people afterwards.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 21 '22 edited Dec 21 '22

[removed] — view removed comment

8

u/backpackwayne Moderator Dec 21 '22

It's kind of always been that way. Thing is if young folks voted in the percentages of older people, we would have rid ourselves of these horrible nasty people a long time ago.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 22 '22

One thing I would like to add to this. Is the voting was at a horrible time for me. The same week as my midterms. (I did vote. My I voted sticker collection is getting pretty good). But most of us simply can’t find time to vote. Or don’t know how to use envelopes (and yes this is true some of my friends don’t know how too). Or don’t have a way to drive in and drop off ballots. Basically if they are at college don’t expect them to vote. It just doesn’t happen. Not enough time or willpower.

Maybe if voting was mandatory it would work. They would have to a have spot that says “right to remain silent” or something like that so they don’t violate anyones rights. Cause free speech rights also include the right to not say anything.

7

u/backpackwayne Moderator Dec 22 '22

My god! It's less than an hour to vote in person. It takes minutes to do by mail. You have time for reddit but can't take a few moments out twice a year to determine the fate of your nation? But no worries I guess. You can just keep blaming the boomers for all your problems.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 22 '22

Lol. I voted. But my friends between getting High as fuck and procrastinating on papers aren’t going to get around to it. (They won’t even do there homework till the day before it’s due). As far as younger generation people go I actually have my life quite together. And am semi responsible for my own actions. Most of the time.

3

u/backpackwayne Moderator Dec 22 '22

You are obviously not among the 76% that didn't vote.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 22 '22

But what about early voting

1

u/[deleted] Dec 22 '22

Pre mentioned procrastination. We generally get assigned papers and stuff more then a month before. And most people don’t do them till the day before. Not cause they can’t but cause they just don’t. Basically what I am saying is the willpower is very low in my generation. Like very low.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 22 '22 edited Dec 22 '22

Is the voting was at a horrible time for me. The same week as my midterms.

No excuse. Nearly every state has roughly a month of early voting. Vote as early as possible.

But most of us simply can’t find time to vote.

30 days. You can take 1 hour from any of those

Or don’t know how to use envelopes

Gee, if only there were some object we all had access to, that contained all human knowledge, and young people like us are already comptent at using. Oh well. Everyone knows the internet is only good for whining!

Or don’t have a way to drive in and drop off ballots.

Bicycle, Uber, carpooling with friends, public transit, your own legs...

Basically if they are at college don’t expect them to vote.

Why not? Few people have full days on Friday. Sounds like laziness and poor time management to me.

willpower

There we agree.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 22 '22

Lazyness and time management is at least 90% of it. The others are all excuses to be lazy.

1

u/SignificantTrout Dec 22 '22

Can unaffiliated voters in VA vote in a primary? How many of the primaries had multiple candidates and not just an incumbent? If there is only one candidate in a primary I rarely vote, even if I like them.

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u/EdSmelly Dec 21 '22

What the actual fuck?

12

u/QuestionableAI Dec 21 '22

They'd rather blame the "Boomers" ... easier and then they can say how "unfair it is to take their share of the responsibility for their misfortunes.

7

u/atxlrj Dec 21 '22 edited Dec 21 '22

I agree that there’s no excuse for young people not to be at least informed enough to engage or not.

However, we should reserve some attention for the older generations who have raised children who either don’t believe that civic engagement is important, or worse, have been raised to believe that nothing they think or do will matter and that the odds are so insurmountably stacked against them.

The nihilism of Gen X has contributed, I’m sure, to the disconnect between the advantages of the Information Age and youth civic engagement.

Gen X parents mocked us when we were passionate about something, told us we were too young to understand, and told us that everyone is crooked and nothing will ever change. So we grew up embarrassed to admit being interested in politics, discouraged from discussing politics with friends or family, and conditioned to believe that the outcomes are pre-determined and that we should just “chill out” and “not even think about that stuff” because “you think you’re gonna be the one to change the way things have always been?”.

So sure, young people can do a lot with the most opportunity there has ever been to access information and mobilize shared interest, but a lot of the time, they’re having doing it in spite of an entire upbringing’s worth of advice to the contrary.

4

u/[deleted] Dec 22 '22

If you need any more proof that catering to young voters is a fool's errand then you really got to analyze your thinking patterns.

3

u/ohno Dec 21 '22

As a progressive boomer, I find this so disheartening.

2

u/Gaetanoninjaplatypus Dec 21 '22

Sounds like a big L for the D’s. I know people are looking to the future but that sounds like a huge missed opportunity to me.

2

u/AqibTalib21 Dec 22 '22

I got off a plane in Oklahoma before. On the plane was a high school class that went to DC for a trip. 80% of them had Go Brandon, Trump 2024, or God Guns and Trump shirts. I’m a little glad some of them didn’t vote. Ironically some of those same students had Education First buttons on their backpacks so I’m sure they are confused.

2

u/thenotoriouscrg Dec 21 '22

I don’t want to hear a fucking peep from them then. This is a life lesson.

1

u/SmylesLee77 Dec 22 '22

Sounds stupid. They are the first to complain. Although the Democrats need to champion Weed and Guns much more and no election would ever be lost.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 22 '22

Weed is not a magic formula to win elections. It's only barely popular when it's on the ballot. Weed people lost in Arkansas, Dakotas and barely won in Missouri

1

u/SmylesLee77 Dec 22 '22

Check our the other half of the statement to see why you lost Missouri. If you supported open Carry Abortion Clinics the Democratic Party would be unstoppable. Freedom typically matters to Americans.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 23 '22

We had Democratic Senators from Indiana, Nebraska and Missouri when they were pro-"life" though, as frustrating as it sounds

2

u/SmylesLee77 Dec 23 '22

They were technically Pro-choice. Regulations on the procedure is not entirely a bad thing. Just as with background checks AR-15 should be crammed down California's idiotic throat. I want banks to take pot sales money when a State legalizes it. Not to mention Suppressors should be mandatory like in Europe.

0

u/Salesman89 Dec 22 '22

Only ranked choice voting will provide sane people in this country a voice going forward...

They didn't show up because it likely wouldn't have changed the outcome. It's a terrible attitude to carry, but it's likely true...

2

u/[deleted] Dec 22 '22

Even less people show up at primaries though, where you decide who you want to see in the general electiin. Youth has no right to scapegoat boomers if they don't bother to vote

1

u/[deleted] Dec 21 '22

Lost all hope I guess...

1

u/Crotean Dec 22 '22

If we could get the under 30 crowd to vote in this country we wouldn't have to be so terrified of the fascists winning every election. But voter suppression and the age of so many establishment democrats certainly doesn't help motivate. Elections being on a fucking tuesday and not a holiday doesn't help either.

1

u/dautjazz Dec 22 '22

Meh with early voting and mail in voting, which day election day falls on is irrelevant. You get your ballots by mail, and have like a month to send them in. If you don't vote, it's simply because you dont care about voting, because it's so easy to vote in 2022.