Staten Island Gen Zers say they are ready to make their voices heard in the 2024 election

Editor’s note: This story is part of an ongoing journalistic initiative to examine the political thinking of Staten Island’s Gen Z population ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Gen Z is made up of those born between 1997 and 2012 and is presently the youngest generation with the power to vote in the United States. If you or someone you know would like to participate in “Election 2024: Gen Z may hold the key,” please e-mail [email protected].

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — With election season right around the corner, voters of all ages and backgrounds are finding themselves in what feels like a political whirlwind.

The issues on the table are dire and impact nearly every person in the country. Vocal fighters for the future, Gen Z is often seen on the frontlines of political hot topics. They flooded streets with signs and chants for movements like Black Lives Matter, Pride, and the ceasefire effort for the Israel-Hamas war — just to name a few.

On the internet, they spread news like wildfire, determine pop culture trends, and organize by the thousands. After all, Gen Z is the first generation raised in the age of social media.

Many in this generation recognize the value of voting — especially for president. We spoke to Staten Island Gen Zers about the importance of casting their vote in the presidential and local elections.

“You can make change in a way, through local politics because they have more proximity and you can experiment a little bit with more direct democracy initiatives, where people can vote directly on certain things,” 23-year-old Michael Levi from Great Kills said.

Over the years, Levi has been involved in voter registration efforts on Staten Island. He is an advocate for environmental law and has helped with educational efforts regarding the Israeli-Palestine war. As civic engagement has been a key proponent of his own life, Levi believes that young people should remain tuned into local politics.

Andrea Wang, a 16-year-old League of Women Voters (LWV) intern from Manhattan, described her observations of young voters. As a part of her internship, Wang has engaged in educating young people on the importance of voting.

Wang’s junior-year history course inspired her to become more politically active. Even though she can’t vote yet, Wang wants to encourage other young people to become civically involved, cast their ballots and pay attention to local elections.

“I think that most high schoolers, they know the big stuff. I guess also in New York, most high schoolers will be Democrat or more left-leaning,” Wang said. “So they’ll probably know Donald Trump got shot at and that Kamala Harris is running now. They probably don’t really know much about local elections or anything like that.”

Local Races

Local Races this year include Republican Nicole Malliotakis, Staten Island’s current congresswoman, who will be running against Democratic candidate Andrea Morse.

Democratic Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D-North Shore/South Brooklyn) is running for re-election to represent District 23 for another term. Her opponent is Republican candidate Marko Kepi.

“Before voting, I’d have to look into each candidate because I don’t know many of their stances,” Jason Chiu, an 18-year-old from Richmond Valley, said regarding local politicians. “I do think it’s important to vote.”

However, not everyone shares Chiu’s optimism. Nicholas Santo, a 19-year-old from Arden Heights, doesn’t have a strong desire to vote in the upcoming local election, especially regarding the congressional seat.

“Local politics on Staten Island don’t really count for me because they’re all Republican. So it’s hard to kind of get that voice of an opinion in local Staten Island stuff. But I do try to keep up with our local politics,” Santo continued, “So local, I try to educate myself, but I know my voice isn’t heard in local elections because there’s a majority of Republican voters on the South Shore.”

Other Gen Z voters, including 24-year-old Michael Roces, a Princes Bay resident who studied political science at St. John’s University, echo Santo’s stance.

“I guess my biggest concern is at the national level,” Roces said, adding that, at least on Staten Island, local political involvement “feels unnecessary,” in his view because there’s a lack of candidates that reflect his values.

Does Gen Z feel like their vote counts?

Despite a heavily polarized political environment fostered mainly by social media, young people just want to see their generation getting fairly represented.

“I’m someone, I think, who very strongly encourages a lot of people to vote, even if it’s not for the party or the candidate that I want,” Santo said, noting he will be voting in both local and national elections.

“I don’t think people have to vote if they don’t want to. I think that protesting against the vote is also taking a political stance, and I could imagine that we’ll probably see some people doing that,” Roces said.

For Santo and Levi, casting a ballot is representative of historical suffrage. Voting isn’t something either individual wants to take for granted — they both hope to see other Gen Zers taking advantage of their freedom.

“I think overall voting is important because particularly, it is not something that historically has been sort of given. It is something that people, and specifically the working class, had to fight for,” Levi said.

Civic Engagement

Many Gen Z voters believe they are perhaps more civically engaged than previous generations.

“I think something specific to the young people is that they go to a lot of protests and marches and rallies, which is part of civic engagement. And I think that we can sort of use that to our advantage. You can just go out to a gathering one day and help support this cause, and then help others see the change you want to be made,” Wang said.

“We should transform political parties in a way that they don’t pacify people, they don’t simply just encourage them to go to vote. They encourage people to be politically aware. They encourage people to mobilize, encourage people to organize,” added Levi.

Aidan Rivera, a 28-year-old from West Brighton, said he loves fostering community through educating and activating people.

“Whether it’s voting or other causes, I like to find people who care about similar issues, bond over shared frustration over the way things are and a hope for a better future, and strategize how to make a difference. Most of my recent efforts have been organizing and attending direct actions, like rallies and protests,” he said.

“Gen Z is probably the demographic that is appealed to the least in America yet it is probably the largest and most diverse generation. If all of Gen Z realized how much power their vote held, unprecedented progress could be made toward the changes we want,” Rivera said.

How to Vote

Policy aside, the logistics of voting can be confusing for many Gen Z voters, especially those who will be voting for the first time this election.

In fact, registering to vote can come across as a daunting process. However, organizations like the League of Women Voters make efforts to help everyone cast their ballots.

“We don’t represent or advocate for parties or specific parties or candidates. We have always, for over 105 years, worked to encourage New Yorkers to be civically engaged and so forth, and we create and provide opportunities for people to do that on a volunteer basis and to otherwise activate other people,” Debra Bradhiem, vice president of LWV, said.

The LWV frequents tabling and voter registration events to encourage young people to vote and become more civically involved overall. For example, on Constitution Day, LWV members will be tabling across the city, including in the Staten Island Ferry Terminal in St. George, sharing copies of the Constitution.

“I think that as someone who can’t vote quite yet, I want to do my best in order to encourage other people to learn more about our democracy and what they can do,” Wang said. “I mean, we’re really just all about getting the vote out, getting the word out.”

Young voters can simply register to vote online. Some individuals can also register through other means, such as academic institutions. For example, Chiu explained that as part of his freshman college orientation, he was able to register to vote.

College students, or anyone who plans to be away on November 5, can file for an absentee or early ballot.

Register to vote at: https://vote.nyc/page/register-vote

What if I’m Away During the Election? https://vote.nyc/RequestBallot

Why is Voting Important? https://www.silive.com/news/2024/07/election-2024-gen-z-may-hold-the-key-heres-why.html

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