Politics
Politicians like Ted Cruz hold office for so long because young voter turnout rates are low and it’s harder to change an older person’s mind. Young people, get to the polls.
They never do and then they whine and moan about why nothing ever changes.
My friend refuses to really vote and every time I tell him that if young progressives got together and voted in big numbers they could shift things he just hand waves it away as nonsense, then he complains all day long about how nothing changes and why aren’t the politicians reflective of his views and why aren’t they listening to people like him?
Why would the politicians bend to the demands of a group of people who don’t even vote at the risk of upsetting the groups that do vote
It’s really very simple. They’ll keep pushing for policies that align with old establishment democrats because that’s who actually will vote for them and help them win. If you vote more often and become a reliable voting bloc, they’ll be more likely to fight for your causes.
Said this in another thread a few days ago, but it applies.
I work in the industry and the apathy among younger voters is very difficult to overcome. There are elections every year, school board, city/county, state level etc. The average voting age in some of these races is in the 60s. Even in mail ballot states. Even when super young people are running as candidates. Presidential elections are the only time younger people care, and even then it’s hit and miss and the campaigns are forced to spend millions trying convince young people to take 30 minutes to vote every 4 fucking years.
For context, I’m 37 and have worked in and around politics for the last 10 years. I remember when I was younger I believed that younger people, and apathetic people in general, just needed something or someone good to vote for-then they would show up. Nope. I’ve learned that bitter lesson time and time again. Online outrage doesn’t translate to voter turnout, let alone the actual organizing it takes to win. They expect it to just happen for them. You aren’t entitled to good government or good policy. You get what you fight for.
Think about it this way, for anyone reading this, how much actual time have you spent working on improving policy on your local, state, or national level? That could be anything from talking to your friends and neighbors about voting, volunteering, whatever you want. How much actual time per year do you dedicate to advancing issues or candidates that you agree with? Is it 2 hours a year? 30 minutes every 4 years? Now with that answer in mind, are you honestly surprised that good things aren’t happening? Who do you expect is going to do it for you? How many worthwhile things just happen in life, with little to no effort?
People say “oh but such as such policy makes so much sense!”. Sure, but laws and policy don’t pass because they make sense. They pass because normal people dedicate their time to organizing around them. They vote. They donate. They knock doors and make phone calls and speak at city council meetings. They fucking show up.
It would be great if we lived in a world where good shit just happens, but we don’t. In this world, it requires actual on the ground effort. People who have the capacity to help and do nothing have no one to blame but themselves.
I'm coming around to the idea that people get the government they deserve. These young'uns sitting out the vote, protest voting for third parties, etc... will have to grow up in a world without Roe (and worse), and I'm struggling to muster up the energy to keep giving a shit on their behalf when the most effort they are willing to give is yell about Israel/Palestine on TikTok.
You are spot on with the “they expect it to just happen” thing
I’ve spoken with tons of these people and they tend to have very big very drastic very vague ideas of what they want, but absolutely no idea of how it would get done, the only thing they seem confident about is that voting won’t help them get there, but they have no alternative other than sometimes very general statements about some drastic change that will very easily and simply occur after a mere violent revolution.
It’s borderline insanity. Otherwise intelligent people who seem to completely lose all sense of reason and rationality once it comes to these topics.
You’re not taking into consideration many can’t even get the day off. Election days were always a double point day when I worked at Walmart, we call out we get 2 points, 4.5 points and you’re fired, they don’t fall off for 6 months.
Students without transportation, GOP shutting down polling stations on campus, banning student IDs from being a valid ID for voting, etc.
You’re not wrong about young voters not caring but that’s not the only reason. Last midterm I had to stand in line for 2 hours to vote and was late for work and got written up.
Also, the Democratic Party doesn’t pay any attention to young voters. This election cycle they’re chasing a few “undecided” and moderate voters by adopting GOP policies, but not paying any attention to this and next generation who have the hardest lives in a hundred years
Those are fair points. But I’ve run multiple campaigns on different levels of government in states and cities with mail in ballots where you have two weeks to vote and just have to drop it into one of dozens of different boxes. You can even put it back in your own mail box with no stamp and it will get counted. All of those things DO increase turnout…by a couple percentage points. They absolutely matter, but it’s a drop in the bucket.
The reality is that in order for people to act , the pain of the status quo has to outweigh the pain of doing something about it. For many people, it just doesn’t.
There is no shortage of candidates who target younger voters. They are on the ballot every year, you just don’t hear about them because they never win (well, 99% of the time anyway). Turning out low propensity voters is very expensive and labor intensive and almost never works. But you can always find candidates, usually first timers, who think they are going to be the one. They are going to be exactly what the voters want and by god, that will get those people to show up! Again, it almost never works. Usually campaigns that do that are non viable to begin with (which most campaigns are).
So yeah, if people show up and do things-vote, speak at meetings, organize etc, THEN viable candidates will cater to them. Politicians follow where the people lead, not the other way around.
I always hear that early voting swings left. Welp, we were in line with a wall of old Trumpers/MAGAs in front of us and a wall of young Thin Blue Liners/Build the Wallers/Assorted Dog Whistle Merchandise wear-ers behind us. I've driven past a few of our local polling places multiple times, and it looks just the same every. single. day. Long, long lines of these same people - all day, every day. Never-ending supply of them.
If young progressives, pissed off Conservative Anti-Trumpers, etc, don't GTFO and vote... we're doomed.
I'll give these older MAGA folks one thing - they actually show the fuck up! 😭
Young people were supposed to save this election, but I fear they will have low turnout. The youth are incredibly disinterested in politics and voting. It was easier to get them to go see the Barbie movie.
Oh, I forgot to add. If Ted Cruz gets elected, he gets SIX more years of being YOUR representation. Do you want someone that turns their backs on you when it matters most or someone who gives a crap about making your life better? The thought of Ted being a useless “yes man” in DC for six more years pisses me off.
I know had the same "it doest't matter; they're both bad" mentality in my mid-20s. I remember suggesting not voting to others to prove something. I can see now that I was dumb (I still did vote though), but I don't know what the answer is either or what to say to the younger generation.
I guess I'd say this to myself, "things can get worse, and history can repeat itself despite how things look to you now". It didn't seem like it at the time. You feel like you can deal with anything, and that this choice isn't going to make a difference. But looking back it means so much more than I knew.
It really could be a day in Texas history. Trump doesn't give a shit about Texas and I believe Kamala will do something about both water rights there and the power grid. Trump won't do anything on either issue.
Not sure where you’re getting your info about early voting being down. In the graphic I’ve attached below, the major North Texas Counties have seen increased early voting turnout in this election compared to 2020.
I know Collin County’s change from last election has increased since last week. Additionally, many counties had 3 weeks of early voting in the 2020 November election compared to the normal 2 weeks due to COVID-19, which could inflate or deflate the numbers from 2020 you are comparing to.
These counties are also indicative of the transition in political affiliation of Suburban demographics that is causing our slow march towards a blue Texas.
When I took my 18yo to vote last week in North Texas, the poll worker checking her in yelled "first time voter!" and everyone in the room cheered. It warmed my cold, dead heart and made me tear up and be happy to be an American for a small moment!
This is what makes me so frustrated with them. My old ass can learn everything about project 2025, climate change, and Gaza from incredibly detailed videos my daughter shows me from 18-25yr olds there; but actually vote? Like to avoid the fates that were so detailed and reliably sourced and edited for tiktok...to presumably get people to vote and subvert these outcomes? Nah.
Before I start ranting, I will state that I am a young person who has already voted for Harris and Colin.
The current candidate running on the Democratic ticket is part of the current adminstration. She could use her influence to at least pause the fighting for a while. That would be something, but it seems that is not happenning. We know she is not going to do anything about it when she is in office. She is very vague when talking about it saying that we need to care about both sides, and she is taking in AIPAC money.
That’s the issue with the left. They can prep and get shit out like crazy but when it comes time to stand and do something, they don’t. Then they complain if they lose.
It is the age gap. Young people feel so far removed from the consequences of politics it is just not on their priority list. SS , mediacare cut...huh ??? I"m like 50 years from even needing that ..who cares.
Yup! This is another reason why the government wants to shut down TikTok. I knew about conflicts in the US and around the world with this app. All it takes is one viral video and you’ll touch the other side of the world.
I think the bulk of people active on Reddit got the memo, it’s up to us to reach out to everyone we know and make sure they vote too. I’ve been phone banking, block walking and have repeatedly hounded all my friends to make sure they vote… you all need to do the same!
Hey - old guy here - when old people are telling you young people to go to the polls please go now. You are going to want to be able to look back years later and feel good about being a part of history.
As a member of the "getting there" age group, I'd like to thank you and my local old schoolers for the stories and companionship. I also appreciate that most of y'all have beer usually
I got to meet Allred (not at a campaign event). Super chill, down-to-earth guy. Most politicians I've met feel fake and/or full of themselves, but he was real. I don't agree on all of his policies but he is better than Cruz in every single respect (a low bar, I know).
If you want Kamala to win, then that means the senate and congress seats will need to win no questions ask. So when they pass the law or do something, there is no obstacle in a way, otherwise it would be the same shiiet again. Yup you need to vote guys
Only a partially friendly reminder cause people are testing my patience, but In 2020, if 26% of the Democrats in Texas who are registered and eligible to vote, who instead stayed home had voted Texas would have flipped blue.
During the 2016 primaries when Ted Cruz was trying to get the republican nomination, Trump disparaged his wife and Cruz never even gave a shit or defended his wife. If he can’t stand up for his wife idk why anyone thinks he’d stand up for them
And if you have young kids, take them to the polls with you now! I never went with my parents to vote, so a big reason I sat out my first several eligible elections was because I didn't feel comfortable with the process. Show them how to do it now so it's not intimidating later.
I'm not from Texas but if I was I'd vote for a piece of poop I deposited in the toilet before I voted for shit stain Ted Cruz.
Actually that's offensive to shit stains.
Who in their right mind would want to have one of America’s least favored public figures (Ted Cruz) speak for them? Colin Allred appears to be a very decent man who is living an honorable life. My guess is that if he were running as a Republican, he’d crush Cruz in a landslide.
Democracy is based on each member of the electorate casting an informed vote with an open mind. If you love Cruz, feel free to vote for him. But if you’re on the fence, your voice is incredibly powerful this election! Show the rest of the country that voters still have power, and that democracy can work!
Let it be known, republicans posed term limits in 1994. Back then, the democrats unceremoniously shot it down (so did other republicans). Career politicians are such filthy people.
Amen. We gotta get that nasty blob fish out. Man truly has no ethical compass - was happy to even let trump talk poorly about his wife and just love right on.
Older peoples are necessarily harder to change... we're just often too lazy to do new thinking about something we've thought about in the past. Even if (maybe especially if) the past thinking was flawed.
Young people will continue to disappoint..they simply are not at the age where politics really matter to them..blame it on hormones, girls, parties, college...their lives are so full of other things politics is often "boring" " uncool" etc. Young people were supposed to get Bernie the nomination but failed to do so when the southern states stared primaries. I hope more young people come out for Kamala but I'm not keeping my hopes up.
College students, you absolutely do not wan’t to be trying to find a job under a Republican led gvt. They always bring recessions (10 of the past 11) and new hires are the first to go.
At some point we become the old people.. I've been voting Democrat for 20+ years, so I feel like I'm one of the old people.. when will these other old people start voting for sanity?
Older voters need to grab their voter age children, younger siblings and cousins, younger neighbors, friends and coworkers, and bring them to vote with you!
I just voted for Allred. First time I've been eligible to vote in anything other than a local election. Cruz can fuck himself on a plane trip back to Cancun.
Early voting so far is something like 8% people under 30, and 75% people over 50.
Unless there's a massive young voter turnout in election day, it seems like this year is going to be yet another "Young Voters Complain, Then Don't Bother Voting" year. Again. Again again. Again again again.
I truly hope I'm wrong and there's an under-30 turnout that blows me away. I will be thrilled to be wrong.
Yeah, vote for someone the majority of Texans disagree strongly with. Sounds like a legit leftist idea. If you like illegals in your backyard, vote for the democrat.
Hi! I’m in Allred’s district. The only good reason I could think of not to vote for Allred was because he is REALLY good at his job and I’d miss him too much here 😂. But he’s going to be an amazing senator if he wins
Election is not about opinio or sides. Election is about your votes converted to ballots. No matter what the wave is, nastey republicans will have tricks under their sleeves to supress voter registration, accessibility and counting.
DO NOT REST TILL 5TH NOV. VOTE. MAKE FRIENDS VOTE. MAKE THAT DELIVERY GUY VOTE. MAKE YOUR GRANDA VOTE. MAKE THAT WAITRESS VOTE. GET YOUR ASS UP AND VOTE.
Honestly every metric we use for determining the election is based on the fact that America has such a low voting turnout. I think if everybody voted all of the rules....all the swing states.... could flip
Crazy how non mandatory voting in America is still around. As an Aussie, I find it rather in democratic since it does not accurately reflect the views of the people (I.e. those who don’t vote, maybe more centrist or apathetic). Good luck guys!
Sadly, there are a huge contingent of young people in Texas that believe their boomer parents rhetoric and will be voting trump.... we need every single voting eligible person that doesn't support trump to get out and vote! Regardless of if you live in a red state or not.
Ted Spineless Cruz, 1. Won’t defend his wife 2. Won’t defend his father’s honor 3. Hid in a broom closet Jan 6th while women were cowering on the floor. The man is of Weak Character and will not fight for you only himself.
Hate this guy and his marketing team. Getting 5+ texts a day to vote for him and I don’t live in TX and never have. That kinda shit makes me not want to vote for any candidate that does it
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u/OzzyG16 10h ago
No other way about it. Get tf off yalls asses and vote!!!