The youth vote has no doubt been a major contributor to the past few elections. Unfortunately, the left has been able to aggressively target this potentially table-turning demographic. This has largely been accomplished through early education exposure to leftist ideology and the domination of liberal professors in universities, like Northern Arizona University (NAU). Few studies in recent times have shown the youth may be underexposed to conservative values but far from repulsed by them as the mainstream media will have you believe. The truth is, our generation (ages 18-29), has had little interest and an even smaller impact on the political world for over a decade, but this is changing as a Harvard study concluded. Voter turnout is expected to be up by over 25% from 2016 to 2020. This is being felt all over the country as young people are increasingly fulfilling their democratic duties, but while the democrats believe they have indoctrinated us enough to see them as victorious in this field, the Republicans are garnering more favor with the youth vote. If the party takes a strong approach to grab the youth vote, it could see extremely positive results.
The Covid-19 virus primarily places the elderly at risk, but young people have felt the economic impact of the virus in some of the worst cases and this has brought the economy to the forefront of their brains. While Democrats have taken advantage of years of economic growth to push their agenda when convenient, current events are increasingly allowing new voters to find out what all of us have known for years: the democrats cannot manage the economy and all of their far-left naïve ideas are plainly unrealistic. We must target the youth by exposing them to common-sense solutions to the economy, our healthcare system, law enforcement, and many other concerns. Much of our youth voters in Flagstaff, especially on campus, have little knowledge coming from places like Los Angeles, San Francisco or Portland. If done right, we could easily flip a vast portion of these voters, full of energy and a newfound willingness to aid conservative causes they think are just. A major roadblock is the fact that, in more cases than any generation in history, these groups are indoctrinated by the left at early ages and in large doses. This means there are certain areas that middle ground will need to be found. Plainly put, the majority of people who are becoming voters, and have voted in recent years, are far more interested in social issues and the environment.
These are simple facts and if the Republican party does not acknowledge this then they run the risk of alienating the fastest growing voting population for our county and the country as a whole. A group that is necessary to keep conservative values alive for generations to come. What I am recommending, as a youth voter, is that we find people on the local level that can reach across and grab a hold of the youth vote. To obtain these local positions, Republicans need to create strategies that mobilize the youth that already support them, while also projecting an image of the Republican Party that resonates with them the most.
So why bother?
Because the fact is there are nearly 30,000 people under 30 that live in this county. If they start voting more and the Democratic Party continues their attempts to monopolize their votes without a comprehensive Republican counter-initiative, then we are doomed to become the next California or New York. Look, Prop 207 and Prop 208 passed no problem...it wasn’t because people over 65 voted for them, it was because more young people voted in favor. WE NEED THE YOUTH VOTE TO CONTINUE WINNING!