Opinion: Reset in presidential race gives Pa. young voters chance to refocus on the real issues

The Presidential race has been entirely reset after a violent shooting at a Trump Rally in my hometown of Butler, Pennsylvania, and President Biden’s historic decision to end his campaign. Historians and on-line pundits will write about these events for way longer than anyone will care.

As for me—I’m excited for the next 100+ days. Our country has been divided since 2016. There are two different worldviews shaping our everyday lives, and recent events give us the chance to have a national conversation about who we are now, and who we want to be in the future.

The Voter Project and Show Up Strong ’24 teams have been doing everything possible to activate Pennsylvanians and specifically a generation of young Philadelphians. We have found an endless amount of creativity, insight and passion for family, friends, and neighbors. But there has also been a malaise when it comes to voting in this election. It’s not apathy or indifference. It’s a feeling that the system is broken, and their voices don’t mean much to two old men bickering back and forth about their golf handicaps. I’m not being funny. That’s what we heard from local non-voters.

The good news–that’s all changed now. We the people get to refocus on:

• Abortion Being Available to Women vs. Abortion Being Criminalized
• Acknowledging Climate Change vs. Acting Like Everything is Fine
• “I Make My Choices” vs. Someone Makes Them for Me
• Separation of Church and State vs. Christian Nationalism
• Opportunity for All vs. The Rich Get Richer
• Independent Judges vs. Radically Conservative Supreme Court Justices

No one should be intimidated by this list. Let’s embrace it, add to it, and use our voices to bring about the change we want to see.

The reset of the past few weeks also gives everyone a chance to rethink their part in our shared democracy.

Those of us who care about politics must acknowledge that the vitriol isn’t convincing anybody of anything. Young people even tell us that participating in politics is as bad for their mental health as a break-up or a lost job. In this environment, bullying or shaming someone into voting simply won’t work. We need to have conversations, listen to one another, and make our case for why every voice should be heard in this election.

Here’s what I have learned by listening to people in the streets of Philadelphia–If you don’t vote, others will be making decisions for you. If your vote wasn’t valuable, people wouldn’t be trying to take it away from you. If you don’t stand up for yourself, your family, and your friends, who will?

My challenge to my fellow citizens is to use this reset to do something different. Let’s get creative about engaging non-voters and people who have dropped out of the process. Screaming “this is the most important election in our lifetimes” or over-doing “make a plan to vote” tactics is just lazy. Ask yourself, how can I take advantage of this great electoral reset and do something new that truly makes a difference?

Voting used to be fun in this country. We now have a chance to breathe new energy into the system and create a new culture of voting over the next 100+ days. Let’s make it happen. For our country. For our families. For our future.