BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Thousands of Vermonters hit the polls Tuesday, but some decided to sit on the sidelines for this election.
“I don’t want Donald Trump to win. I don’t like Kamala. I remember being in this situation last election cycle,” said Angela Valentine, a transgender woman who has lived in Burlington for the last five years. “I can’t keep getting down with the same panic that I have to have like every four years and hope that one of the presidents cares a little more about my rights as a trans Black woman.”
Upwards of 78 million people across the country voted early this year. Rich Clark, a political science professor at Vermont State University, says the turnout this year could be on par with 2020. But he says there is a small group — including many younger people — opting to not vote. “There is a percentage that are kind of disgusted with the system. They don’t feel represented. But I don’t think that is the main factor. They don’t feel comfortable going into the polling place. We have a complex system if you haven’t voted before,” he said.
It’s not just Generation Z — people of all ages are avoiding filling out a ballot this year. “I don’t get into politics or religion. I don’t discuss it. It’s nothing but an argument. Everybody has got their own viewpoints and you’re not changing them,” said Harry Norway of St. Albans.
And even though she is not voting, people like Valentine hope for a better future. “I would like to see, like, something that I can point to. That is like, yeah this candidate does care about these things,” she said.