GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Tuesday, we found ourselves standing in Gator Nation— Gainesville at the University of Florida. The goal, talk to this election cycle's youngest voters. Some of them voting for the first time ever.
We wanted to know who they're voting for and what they're voting on. That’s as many pundits believe the youth vote could make the difference in this year’s tight election.
Here’s what a few told us:
- Hanna Torres, UF Student:
- “My biggest ones are the usual ones you hear, like, probably abortion taxes, because I'm getting into the tax world now.”
- “My biggest ones are the usual ones you hear, like, probably abortion taxes, because I'm getting into the tax world now.”
- Tristan Gross, UF Student:
- “I feel like, just like, everything's, like, really expensive now, especially the past few years. And it might just be different, because I'm like, more on my own now, but like, I've just really been feeling, feeling the pinch.”
- Lilly Abbott, UF Student:
- “I am pro choice. I support Planned Parenthood, um, and I'm also scared the right side politician were to obtain office, that those reproductive rights would kind of be restricted, more limited.”
- Mia Guarnaccia, UF Student:
- “I feel like the job market is something we're worried about too, um, like, going out into the real world, like, once we graduated stuff.”
- Naomi Fleischer, UF Student:
- “Yeah, I'm really excited. Actually, it's my first time voting.”
- Daniella Quijano, UF Student:
- “It's our first time that we get the chance to vote. So it's important to take the opportunity and, like, be able to, like, feel like you can contribute to that.”
- Tristan Gross, UF Student:
- “I’m definitely gonna vote.”
- Mia Guarnaccia, UF Student:
- “Yeah, there was a part of me that was like, I'm I'm not gonna vote. I don't want any part in this, but I feel like after a new Democratic candidate stepped up, I was more inclined to vote.”
- Tristan Gross, UF Student:
- “We'll let the we'll let the audience figure it out. But we're on opposite ends. We have differing opinions, but like, I've been the same since the beginning, pretty much.”
- Hanna Torres, UF Student:
- “I would just say that even though it doesn't feel like it affects you, everything trickles down eventually. So you have to put in your vote where you can, because eventually it will probably affect you. You might as well try to put at least what control you do have and use it.”
We also asked about Taylor Swift. You may have heard of her. Would the pop star’s recent endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris might do to the race? Those we spoke with told us— they're fans, but she's not necessarily swaying their vote.
Swift did, however, get about 400,000 new voters to register in the 24 hours following her endorsement. We just don't know where they're registered, and we don't know exactly how they'll vote.
Investigative Reporter Katie LaGrone obtained the most recent batch of Florida teacher exit interviews which detail, in their own words, why teachers left the classroom this summer.
