With the 2024 Presidential election approaching this November it’s important to take a step back to understand America’s new voters and their perspective. The class of 2024 graduates on June 7th, many of these seniors with the opportunity to vote in the general election once they turn 18, but does this mean they will participate?

Speaking with Seniors the overall consensus was that voting matters. America has seen a major increase in young voters in the past few generations as Tufts.edu states  “Half of youth voted in 2020, an 11-point increase from 2016.” This number is expected to increase for the 18-29 demographic in our General election. Since this school’s foundation, Praire High School students have always kept a vocal part in school activities whether it be student body elections or dance theme voting, our students keep up and often campaign for what they believe, and therefore the majority of these students plan to vote in all 2-year and 4-year state and federal elections. 

Opinions sway when it comes to third-party voting with Seniors feeling discouraged “ No it doesn’t count… probably not, waste of a vote” Senior Deidre Thueson stated as her friend group nearby nodded in agreement. Only a minority of students on campus talked to believed that third-party voting is a helpful alternative to the two-party system in which both sides could get it wrong. While there has never been a third-party President in office some students keep high hopes.

If you are 18 by November 5th you can register to vote on the Washington State Secretary of State website. You will need a driver’s license or state ID once creating an account on the VoteWA voter portal. You can also find your nearest county elections department and mail or visit in person to register.