With its rich history in the Civil Rights Movement and deeply rooted southern pride, this “sweet home” of Alabama is colored in political hues of all shades and tones.
Midterm elections are on the horizon. According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), nearly 21% of the electorate in Alabama is made up of young people age 18 to 29 years old. That equates to 746,000 young adults who are eligible to vote in Alabama. The question at hand: are young people in the Heart of Dixie practicing their civic duty as active voters or are they falling deeper into their lazy stereotype?
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Young voters in Alabama face a myriad of issues as they journey to the infamous voting poll. In a 2016 analysis of voting obstacles faced by young adults, Survey of the Performance of American Elections (SPAE) researched why young adults choose not to vote. Issues such as lack of interest in candidates, lines at polling places being too long and confusion regarding voter registration are just a few of the stumbling blocks they face.
Voting trends in the Birmingham area suggest that most young people are interested in voting but feel they lack resources to know how. Those that stay updated on news and are invested in candidates and issues are more likely to show up on voting day. Young men and women directly affected by policy makers feel their vote is impactful. On the other hand, those who show lack of interest, are uninformed and ill-equipped for registration day are predicted to keep their distance from the polls.
“A huge reason I don’t vote is because I’m pretty ignorant on information,” said 21-year-old Birmingham resident Daniel Vasquez. When asked if he would know how to register to vote right now if necessary, Vasquez shook his head.
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In all, 65% of young adults accredited their lack of voting to disinterest in current candidates and issues being addressed according to SPAE.
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University of Alabama-Birmingham student Annie Lennon is registered to vote in her hometown of Niceville, FL but has yet to register for an absentee ballot here in Birmingham. “Voting is important to me, but I haven’t yet because I’m not registered to vote here. I just haven’t really gotten around to it,” said Lennon. The 21-year-old claims she would have registered sooner but has put it off due to lack of interest in candidates running in recent elections.
CIRCLE studies show that only 7.2 % of youth age 18 to 29 in Alabama cast their votes in 2014 elections. This percentage indicates the trend of majority of young adults to not participate in voting, even though a percentage of them are registered to vote.
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For some young residents in the area, voting is a privilege rather than a painstaking task.
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22-year-old Amara Rodriguez has lived in Birmingham her whole life and is an active voter at the polls. Rodriguez’s family are first generation immigrants from Honduras; her vote is a way to advocate for her family’s needs as migrants.
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“I think it's important for people to know who they’re putting into positions to make decisions for us,” said Rodriguez. The Birmingham resident informs herself on election information by researching online, visiting local community centers and staying updated on current news.
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Other young voters in the area are concerned about how impactful their votes actually are.“How the people vote and who they vote for matters. However, you can vote for a candidate but if a representative is not in service to your community, you're just wasting your vote,” said Terriane Augusta, a young mother to two small children. Augusta and her family just recently moved to Birmingham from Louisiana. Her and her husband work for a nonprofit in the area and understand the importance of voting. However, they are both skeptical of local representatives. “I can know everything there is to know about a delegate, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to make change,” said Augusta.
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Although faced with many obstacles, some young people appear to still be casting their votes in the area. With midterm elections around the corner, only time will tell whether the young population of Birmingham will step up to the plate or further put off their civic duties.