First-time presidential voters met to discuss politics and democracy. Here’s what they had to say

By Dana Elobaid, CNN

(CNN) — Amid an unusually hectic summer for national politics, a group of teenage voters met in Washington, DC, over a July weekend to discuss politics.

As part of their America in One Room: The Youth Vote event from July 19-22, a collection of civic groups convened more than 400 17- and 18-year-olds who will be voting in a presidential election for the first time. Generation Lab – one of the event’s hosts – recruited these voters from high schools around the country, finding teenagers of different backgrounds, regions and political leanings to represent the demographics of America’s newest voting bloc. Participants filled out surveys before and after the discussions, tracking how their political outlook changed after engaging with future voters with different beliefs.

Coming into the event, nearly 7 in 10 participants (69%) said they were dissatisfied with the way democracy was working in the US. Only about a third (31%) said that “public officials care a lot about what people like me think.”

Other polls have similarly shown a sense of powerlessness in the political system among young people – a 2023 Pew survey found that only 14% of Americans aged 18-29 said voting by people like them could affect the future of the country a lot, with another 38% saying it could affect the country’s future some.

But after discussing political issues with their peers, the first-time presidential voters largely left the DC event feeling more hopeful about the country’s future and their ability to create change. In the post-survey, 58% of participants said they were satisfied with the way democracy is working in the US – and more than half (51%) said that public officials cared what they think. They also felt more respect, across party lines, for those with whom they strongly disagreed.

The young voters ended the weekend in broad agreement about making voting more accessible and increasing access to mental, abortion and health care. After discussions, they also moderated their support for some progressive economic policies, such as a blanket minimum wage increase and free public college.

CNN spoke with three of the first-time presidential voters at the event, which was a collaboration between the Close Up Foundation, the Deliberative Democracy Lab at Stanford University, the Generation Lab, Helena and the Neely Center at the University of Southern California.

Ysabella Olsen

Age: 18

Home state: Missouri

Partisan affiliation: Democrat

Olsen said she believes voting in national elections is important, even as a Democrat in a red-leaning state: “My state will, in this current time, always go red. But I think that if we stopped voting altogether, that would be problematic.”

The impact of voting in local elections is not lost on Olsen.

“I think on the local level, my vote really does matter,” she said. “In the first election I ever voted in, our park tax won by 52 votes. And I think that’s really big. It shows that my vote does matter. And even though it’s … not like a huge tax, if that didn’t pass, we wouldn’t be able to beautify our park, keep our riverfront safe, build a veterans’ memorial.”

Moving forward, Olsen said she hopes the Democratic Party focuses on future-looking policies, such as combatting climate change and advancing racial equity, She cited Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as a politician who understands the need to prioritize “policies of the future that young people want.”

As she heads to her first year of college in another state, Olsen plans to vote absentee in Missouri this November.

Andrew Langmuir

Age: 18

Home state: New Jersey

Political affiliation: Democrat

While a Democrat, Langmuir said he is “not a fan of the two-party system at all” and wished voters had more choices beyond the two major parties.

Coming from a town that “bleeds blue,” Langmuir felt that his vote didn’t matter on a state and national level.

“In New Jersey, my electoral votes don’t count, and, like, my popular vote didn’t count, and my primary vote doesn’t count,” he said.

But that’s not a reason to abstain from voting, Langmuir cautioned: “If people keep on saying, ‘My vote doesn’t matter,’ and then they stop voting, there’s a potential that it won’t always stay that way.”

In November, he will vote for Kamala Harris and encourages other young Americans to turn out and vote.

Elijah Butcher

Age: 18

Home state: South Carolina

Political affiliation: independent, with libertarian views

Over the course of the July weekend, Butcher said he appreciated hearing from people his age with different perspectives from his own – the participants were 42% Democrat, 28% Republican and 20% independent.

“I think I was in the minority as a more conservative-leaning person in my discussion group, but that gave me a really good opportunity to hear a lot of the perspectives from the other side, while also sharing a little bit of my own,” Butcher said. “And there was more just opportunity to listen for some of the ‘whys’ behind their arguments, which was really helpful to me and definitely gave me hope that there can be productive conversation reaching across the aisle.”

Butcher also expressed dissatisfaction with the two-party system and encouraged others with similar views to consider voting for third-party candidates come November.

“It may seem a little naive, but I think my vote does matter, even if I vote for a third-party candidate and a third-party candidate … barely gets any votes and loses by a lot,” he said. “That’s still a vote that’s not going to the two major parties and still a vote that’s towards a cause that I believe in more than the two major parties, and I’m proud of that fact.”

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