{"id":14563,"date":"2018-11-06T18:23:16","date_gmt":"2018-11-06T23:23:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/?p=14563"},"modified":"2018-11-06T20:03:53","modified_gmt":"2018-11-07T01:03:53","slug":"young-voters-take-their-voting-rights-seriously","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/young-voters-take-their-voting-rights-seriously\/","title":{"rendered":"Young voters weigh in and cast ballots"},"content":{"rendered":"

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While large numbers of early in-person, absentee votes were cast in advance of Election Day, experts also predicted that more young South Carolinians would cast ballots Tuesday, propelled in part by national issues such as immigration, health care, the economy and the policies of President Trump.<\/p>\n

Some said they came to the polls to cast votes for South Carolina governor while others looked to the congressional elections.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here are voices from some South Carolina young people:<\/p>\n

Sharing voices to find new ideas<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Christian Antley, a 19-year-old USC student, turned up to vote because \u201cdemocracy doesn\u2019t really work if people aren\u2019t sharing their voices.\u201d<\/p>\n

Antley, a resident of Lexington, thinks the younger generation often complains about the current political climate, but won\u2019t vote in order to fix it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I reserve my right to complain if I vote and things are still doing bad,\u201d Antley said. \u201cBut if you don\u2019t vote, or don\u2019t even register to vote, you might as well be quiet because you\u2019re not really trying to help the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Antley said he\u2019s noticed a trend of government officials continuously getting re-elected in S.C., which he thinks is responsible for the stagnation of change in the state. He said that if change is to occur \u201cnew blood and new ideas\u201d are needed.<\/p>\n

Antley hopes that S.C. can strengthen its foundation, so that other issues can be improved in the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think S.C. has a lot of potential because a lot of people are moving here and there\u2019s a lot happening, but I feel like our state is falling behind,\u201d Antley said. \u201cThere\u2019s no reason we should be at the bottom of the medical and education ratings for the for the country.”<\/p>\n

The civic process<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Arsenal Hill Park resident Bryce Fiedler sees voting as his responsibility to participate in the civic process.<\/p>\n

Fiedler said he hopes everyone chooses to vote as a tribute to advocates of voter rights in the past.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know a lot of people have fought and died for this right,\u201d said Fiedler. \u201cSo, I think it\u2019s only fair that we participate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Finding a middle ground<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Mac Folks, a Chick-Fil-A employee, was raised by a Republican mother who \u201cinsisted\u201d that the 22-year-old get himself out to vote on Tuesday. He even said that while he told his mom that he swung right in the 2016 presidential election, he actually didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if we\u2019re quite as divided as people like to say we are, but we definitely had an intense presidential election,\u201d Folks said after casting his ballot at the Brockman Elementary School precinct. Folks likened the intensity of 2016 to the drama of the recent hearings that decided Judge Brett Kavanaugh\u2019s position on the U.S. Supreme Court.<\/p>\n

The majority of South Carolinians also tend to vote\u00a0Republican, but Folks said he hopes to see more of a balance in the government after this election.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone seems to talk in terms of, it has to all be Republican or all be Democrat, otherwise the world\u2019s going to be ruined. The Republicans are like, \u2018If we even let one Democrat slip in, all freedom\u2019s gone,\u2019 and then the Democrats are like, \u2018If we let even one Republican in the House they\u2019re never going to let us do anything,\u201d Folks said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully people will chill out with that particular mindset and think that maybe the best way to do partisan government is to have a little bit of both sides in the mix.\u201d<\/p>\n

Voting for better education<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Brianna Jenkins, 23, a graduate student studying social work at USC, woke up early Tuesday morning so she could beat the lines at the voting polls.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone\u2019s voice should be heard,\u201d Jenkins said. \u201cI feel like if you don\u2019t vote, it doesn\u2019t give you the right to complain.\u201d<\/p>\n

She hopes that the midterm elections bring positive change to the education system in South Carolina and was eager to vote for Richland 1 school board candidate Jackie Barker.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is working hard to provide schools with everything they need to help teachers and students succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Encouraging the youth vote<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Henry Coonrad, a media arts student at USC, headed to the polls Tuesday morning in hopes of seeing more college student in line with him. He cast his ballot for Democrat James Smith for governor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s important that college kids get out and make decisions,\u201d Coonrad, 20, said. \u201cI feel like young people aren\u2019t respected in the voting system or aren\u2019t present.\u201d<\/p>\n

He feels that politics have lost its balance. \u201cI would like to see more cooperation between people,\u201d Coonrad said. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of hard because a lot of people are polarized and one-sided now.\u201d<\/p>\n

One vote can make a change<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ashley Dipple, 35, a dental hygiene student at Midlands Technical College, has lived almost her whole life in the Dutch Fork area. For Dipple, 35, voting is a way for everyone around the state to get their voice heard.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think everyone should vote,\u201d Dipple said. \u201cI\u2019m hoping that my vote will collectively make an impact in how things are run in this country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dipple said she has voted many times before and will continue to vote so her voice can be heard by local and national lawmakers. \u201cEvery voice matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Exercising an important right<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Asa Thompson Jr. is not a first-time voter – he takes his right to the ballot seriously. The 28-year-old real estate agent wore an \u201cI voted\u201d sticker proudly on his chest for the entire day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like it\u2019s my right as an American citizen to at least try to impact the way I think the country should be governed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Taking a \u201cselfie\u201d to show she voted<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Evelyn Ann Borucki voted with a group of family and friends. The 22-year-old graduate student said that she votes in every election that she can.<\/p>\n

Borucki believes that it\u2019s important for voters to know what they are voting for and then vote accordingly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just did what I thought was right for the state and hopefully that goes through. I did my part and we\u2019ll see if it changes,\u201d said Borucki.<\/p>\n

After everyone in her group finished voting, they proudly took a \u201cselfie\u201d to post on Snapchat.<\/p>\n

Reporters Bria Barton, Rebecca Brennan, T. Michael Boddie, Turner Harrison, Kelly Ann Krueger, Rachel Pittman, Hannah Slater, and Reema Vaidya contributed to this report.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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