Young Northwest Indiana voters seem split between vice president and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and former president and Republican candidate Donald Trump days before the election.
Jack Bloom, professor of sociology, history and minority studies at Indiana University Northwest, said the 2024 presidential race has been close because after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race not all of the voters who supported him have voiced support for Harris.
Also, a group of Black and Latino men have voiced support for Trump, Bloom said. The question there, Bloom said, is do those men actually support Trump or are they unwilling to vote for a woman? The answer, Bloom said, is anybody’s guess.
But Bloom said polling in races this close is unreliable because it’s common for those conducting polls to give more weight to certain groups if they didn’t find enough people within that group. For example, if the pollsters didn’t interview enough “college-educated men,” they would give that group more weight in their poll to try to capture what more college-educated men likely think, he said.
“Nobody really knows what the story is in 2024, in that sense,” Bloom said. “We really have no idea who is going to win this race.”
Aniya Griffin, 24, a junior at Indiana University Northwest, said she likely will not vote in this election. If either candidate could prove action with their campaign promises then Griffin said she would change her mind and vote.
“I’m kind of second-guessing on voting. I don’t think I would want to just because I don’t know who to vote for that sits right with me. They’re both on the same level of pros and cons,” Griffin said.
It’s been difficult to get into politics because of the current atmosphere around the election and the two presidential candidates, Griffin said.
“My biggest issue with the election is really just knowing who to vote for and what they can offer that’s best for us,” Griffin said. “I think it’s a little bit hard as well being African American and not knowing who to vote for when some of the people that’s in my community drift toward Kamala just because she’s also half African American, but Trump offers some stuff that we need as well.”
Griffin said both candidates offer varying pros and cons. Under Trump, the economy was stronger and there weren’t wars around the world, Griffin said, but his views on banning abortion are seemingly a negative point.
Russia’s war on Ukraine began in 2014 with Russia occupying and annexing Crimea from Ukraine. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict dates back to 1948 around Israel’s creation and the displacement of some 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were forced from what is now Israel.
But Griffin said she struggles on the issue of abortion because while she believes it shouldn’t be banned, she’s heard from anti-abortion advocates and said they made “good points with why it should be taken away.”
Griffin said a pro for Harris is her stance on reproductive rights and her financial plans to help middle-class families. As a con, Griffin said Harris is currently the vice president and should’ve been able to accomplish a lot of her platform already.
As her family and friends talk about the election and presidential candidates, Griffin said they talk about Harris’ race, history with Black sororities and her stance on reproductive rights. When they talk about Trump, they talk about his policies while president and why abortion should be banned, Griffin said.
“I’m in the middle of both sides,” Griffin said. “I don’t mind if she’s president. I don’t mind if he’s president.”
Anthony Hudson, 22, a senior at Indiana University Northwest, said the most important issues for him are reproductive rights and inflation. Which means, Hudson said, Harris shares his views on reproductive rights but the economy was stronger under Trump.
“Those two issues are really split between both of the presidential candidates,” Hudson said.
Hudson said he voted early in person for Harris, but that he’s less excited about her candidacy compared to when she first announced her run for office. After reading some of her policies, like legalizing marijuana, Hudson said there are bigger issues that need to be addressed.
“I’m still voting for Harris,” Hudson said. “I’m just a little less confident with the different policies that she has.”
For a while, Hudson said, Harris effectively campaigned on Project 2025, which is a 900-page policy written by many former Trump administration officials for the next Republican president that would expand presidential power and impose ultra-conservative stances on issues like abortion, LGTBQ rights and racial justice.
But Hudson said the issue decreased in importance for him when Trump said he didn’t know what it was and that those behind Project 2025 released it as an agenda for him.
Hudson said that when he talks to his family and friends, it underscores the sentiment nationwide that there is no clear favorite in the race. His other takeaway is that people voting for Harris are doing so because they don’t want Trump to win, and the people voting for Trump are doing so because they don’t want Harris to win.
Hudson said his family members who support Harris say a possible Harris presidency would bring so much hope for the Black community. The other young voters Hudson knows, he said, seem split between support for Harris and Trump.
Everette Fitzgerald, 22, a senior at Indiana University Northwest, said he’s split down the middle between both presidential candidates.
“I’m definitely going to exercise my right to vote, I’m just kind of 50/50 right now,” Fitzgerald said.
He plans to vote on Election Day, Fitzgerald said, so he’ll take the time before casting his ballot to research which candidate will benefit him and his future most.
When considering Trump, Fitzgerald said the former president is “a straight shooter” and for the most part accomplishes what he says he’ll do. But from his research so far, Fitzgerald said he’s read that Trump’s tax plans will only benefit the rich.
For Harris, Fitzgerald said she advocates for reproductive rights, which is a top issue for him. But, Fitzgerald said something he thinks about is that Harris is currently the vice president and hasn’t implemented the policies she has campaigned on.
Fitzgerald said he’d like to hear more from both candidates about how they hope to help the middle class. Trump has seemed to make clear that his economic policy will benefit the rich, though, he said.
When talking with other voters, Fitzgerald said Project 2025 frequently comes up but the reaction has been split. Of the other young voters he talks to, Fitzgerald said, he’s noted they seem evenly split between Harris and Trump.
“Some people, I’ve heard, are completely denying (Project 2025), like that’s just not true at all. It’s being exaggerated. Other people are highlighting the bad things it could possibly do,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s honestly split, which is surprising to me.”
Young voters should make sure to do research beyond short clips on social media. Fitzgerald encouraged everyone to vote.
“It’s a huge privilege that many people don’t take advantage of, especially with the history of certain groups of people not being able to vote. It’s an opportunity that, if you’re able to, you should take advantage of,” Fitzgerald said.
akukulka@post-trib.com
