With the culmination of America’s modern volatile political landscape in recent years and a growing divide between the main binary political parties, one thing that remains constant is the omni-present belief that “kids are the future of America.” According to this sentiment, the future of America appears blue. According to a Pew Research Center article in March 2018, the current administration has historically low approval ratings among young people, in particular Generation X and Millennials. Trends that show younger people whose outlooks typically lean to the left on hot-button issues such as environmental protection, healthcare and abortion, or marijuana legalization, it makes sense that one would anticipate these young people to vote Democrat, and that’s what the Democratic Party is hoping for.
Thursday, Oct. 18, saw this year’s commencement of the annual Kleberg County Democratic Party Banquet, an event meant to unify Democrats from across Kleberg County and a chance to meet candidates for local elections, as well as a personal video message from United States Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke. An emphasis was made during the night about the importance of youth involvement in the political process, especially with the upcoming election to decide the outcome of the 2018 Texas U.S. Senate Race.
A large factor of political participation that is commonly overlooked is the topic of motivation; what compels an individual to go out and become involved in politics, whether it be on a local, state or national level. Several Texas A&M University-Kingsville students attended the banquet to show their support for the Democratic Party. When asked about their motivation for participating in politics, several answers were received.
“My main interest would have to be civil rights,” TAMUK student Katrina Sacurom said. “As an LGBTQ member myself, I always felt the need to be involved, because we don’t have many people to stand up for us.”
Sacurom also participated in the banquet as a key note speaker representing TAMUK.
Other students learned at a young age to participate in politics.
“I grew up in a family that was always very involved in the Democratic Party. Ever since I was little, they taught me that it was very important to be involved with the community because [politics] affect you no matter what, in the end,” said Diana Luna, a TAMUK student and attendee of the event.
Heightened voter turnout for the upcoming November mid-term elections, especially among the younger generations, constitutes what is known as the “Blue Wave,” or an influx of Democrat votes in response to Republican dominance in recent years. Because of the Blue Wave, it is possible that the party composition of the House of Representatives and the Senate will change drastically following the mid-term elections. Whether actual voter turnout will reflect this sentiment remains to be seen.
