Young voters in America hold a unique position in national voter demographics, yet they often fall behind the average in voter turnout when compared to other age groups. Though younger voters are the citizens that will end up seeing many of the consequences of current economic and social policies, it was found by Harvard that new and young voters casting their votes will drop from 57% in 2020 to 49% in 2024. This is likely due to the fact that many new voters have just entered the world of national politics and are still discovering their own political identities.
It is paramount that young voters still get out and voice their opinions at the voting booths, so ensuring educational opportunities about political policies and candidates is important. When newly entering the vastly complicated and often stressful world of politics, it may be difficult to find your own political ideas and values. There is also the continuing issue of news reliability, where a growing number of mass media outlets are beginning to provide biased information, making the political world even less valued by young voters.
One useful option for new voters to find a trustworthy source for unbiased information on the 2024 presidential candidates is the documentary The Choice 2024, by Frontline on PBS. The Choice has been made consistently over the last 30 years to offer unbiased perspectives on whichever two main running candidates. The documentaries have offered American voters a better understanding into candidates’ lives and stories, not just their political values and policies.
To bring the documentary close to home, this year’s director of The Choice is UI alum Michael Kirk, who not only graduated in 1971 with a degree in Communication, but also worked as an editor for The Argonaut. In 2000, Kirk was introduced into the school’s hall of fame for his exemplary work in political journalism and documentary making.
When first entering the ever expanding and complex world of American politics, it can be difficult to find reliable sources on presidential candidates. When it comes to this years’ presidential candidates, The Choice 2024 offers a unique way to see Harris and Trump for who they are as people — not just politicians.
The documentary for November’s election was released on September 24th and is free to watch on the PBS website or on YouTube. By gaining an accurate and unfamiliar perspective on how the presidential candidates came to be, we’re able to be more confident in why our votes matter to us. Young voters should use this source to help gain a better understanding of the extremely polarized election that will be arriving shortly so that they can voice their own opinions and show America that its younger voters care and are ready to vote.