On Tuesday, thousands of Floridians headed to the polls across the state to cast ballots in a primary election being closely watched by national pundits due to high profile races for U.S. Congress and the governor’s office.
With the November general election looming on the horizon, University of Miami students canvassed Tuesday morning said they are concerned about a host of issues ranging from gun violence to the economy. Young voters are expected to have an impact in the general election, but no one is quite sure just how much.
Among Millennials, the youngest adult generation (today ages 18-35), 41 percent identify as independents, compared with 34 percent who identify as Democrats and 22 percent who identify as Republicans, according to the Pew Research Center.
Patty Santana, senior, psychology and creative writing double major, said she and her peers are most interested in human rights across the board. "We are most concerned about healthcare, minimum wage, things like that," she said.Summer Singh, a senior majoring in psychology, said that although the debate on the issue has been controversial, “gun protection laws is something that many of us are most concerned about. Birth control access is also a big issue.”Alex Hawkins, a sophomore majoring in biochemistry, added: “The amount of shootings that has been happening is crazy. I am not saying that there needs to be a gun ban because I believe in the Second Amendment, but being stricter on who has the right to purchase guns may help.”Sonali Khiyni, a senior who has a double major in biology and economics, said for her and her friends, “it’s about keeping schools safe. That’s mostly what we care about.”
The General Election is Tuesday, November 6, 2018.
