ROANOKE, Va. – Among the groups both Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump are trying to reach in their tight race for the White House are younger voters, members of Gen-Z and millennials.
A recent NBC News poll found that about a quarter of Gen-Z voters have not engaged in the political process at all over the past year, showing both candidates have some work to do.
Ahead of Tuesday night’s debate, 10 News spoke with Ryan Grisso, who’s at the tail end of the millennial generation, and Gracie Arrington, a member of Gen-Z.
They weren’t sure whether they were going to even watch the debate.
“I think we’re not very political because it’s mostly kind of depressing and I don’t know at this point, it just feels like I don’t have a hope in it, the outcome either way,” Arrington said.
Like many millennials and members of Gen-Z, they stream shows instead of watching on broadcast television or cable and get their news online and from social media.
While political news trickles down, it’s still not enough to pull them in.
“At the end of the day, we’re still going to have to go to work, still going to have to pay taxes, still have to pay bills regardless of who’s in office,” Grisso said. “I don’t think it really matters as much.”
Arrington said her faith in the political process was tested even more after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race after his performance in the first presidential debate in June.
Prof. Cayce Myers, head of graduate studies at the Virginia Tech School of Communication, told 10 News debates can be impactful but rarely shape the final outcome of races. Biden’s departure was a major exception.
He agreed that the tenor of political discourse in recent years is turning off some voters, margins which can be key in such a tight race.
‘What we’ve seen in the last two election cycles is a greater intensity, I think, and I think a greater dislike by the candidates for each other and that comes through in the television to the audiences,” Myers said.
Grisso and Arrington said a focus on issues like the economy may be one way to get them and others engaged.