On Tuesday, Nov. 7, local elections commenced for the political offices available this year in Virginia Beach. With seats in both the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates being determined, this was an important election year for state policy and decision making, emphasizing the ever-growing importance of voter turnout. However, problems with turnout in elections still emerge in the demographic of younger voters, including those who are students at PA.
According to Virginia.gov, there were 754 new voters registered in Virginia Beach this October ahead of the election, a decrease from 2,921 in October of 2022. A similar decrease can also be seen across all voters in Virginia Beach, as the city’s registered voters total decreased by 3,000 voters from 2022 to 2023.
Trends like these often occur and repeat as major elections come and go, but the lack of involvement in four year state elections is similarly concerning. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, 39% of voters cast a ballot in elections for Virginia’s General Assembly, the oldest continuously-operating legislative body in the Western Hemisphere. This was also a slight decrease from the 42.4% turnout of 2019’s General Assembly elections.
However, a lack of voter participation in 2023 doesn’t necessarily mean a downward trend that will continue on in 2024. According to Virginia.gov, turnout is highest in presidential years like 2012, 2016, and 2020, which had astronomically higher turnout than other years.
Many of those who didn’t vote from PA may have had understandable reasons to, with some students bringing up the issue of voting access in the U.S., especially for students and workers. In addition, many seniors have not yet turned 18, with Election Day happening relatively early in the school year. Senior Ariel Smith was one of multiple students who expressed the value of giving people time off to vote, saying, “I think it is important for students to have off from school on Election Day because the schools are used for voting and it’s only for one day. The people who have work should have a day off or at least less hours so they can vote too.”
While many of the international students at Princess Anne were not eligible to vote, they agreed that voting was an important part of fulfilling civic duties, no matter the country. One of these students, Senior Julia Korba, previously voted in her home country before coming to the United States, saying she was motivated by “a need to change my country’s situation and people whose ideas I did not support.”
Those who did vote, however, cited the importance of civic involvement, especially among younger people. Senior Ryan Carulli, who voted at Independence Middle School, described the process as “very simple and easy to complete.” He explained his motivation to vote, saying “I vote because it is my civic duty.” He also stressed the impact of the vote amongst new voters, saying “I think it is important for younger Americans to vote.”
While only a small portion of PA’s student body turned out to cast their vote on election day, many shared the same sentiments regarding the importance of students expressing their opinions and getting involved in politics. Senior Kamrin Hoelzer was one of many students who suggested the use of social media in order to make the opinions of students heard, explaining “Most high school age kids and college kids have millions of resources at their fingertips and I think it is important to utilize them to ensure their voice is heard.”
A strong number of students responding to the survey also emphasized the fact that they would be the ones who would live to see the full effects of their vote, especially in the case of issues like inflation, climate change, and the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, which are expected to become even more prominent in the future. Senior Hailey Gaines was one of the students to explain the importance of casting a ballot in the modern day, saying “we’ll have to live through the decision the elected person makes.”
