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Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: E24 1029 YOUTH VOTE TV
HEADLINE: Gen Z voters step up
TEASER: America’s youngest voters help get out the vote for the November election
PUBLISHED AT: 10/28/24 at 9:40am
BYLINE: Laurel Bowman
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Rockville, Maryland; Herndon, Virginia
VIDEOGRAPHER: Saqib Ul Islam
VIDEO EDITOR: Saqib Ul Islam
ASSIGNING EDITOR: Aru Pande
SCRIPT EDITORS: DLJ, Baragona
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA, AP
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV __ RADIO __
TRT: 3:08
VID APPROVED BY: Reifenrath
TYPE: TVR
EDITOR NOTES:))
((INTRO))
[[The youngest voters taking part in the U.S. presidential election are called Gen Z. They range in age from roughly 18 to 27 years old. From learning how to vote, to soliciting support door to door, many are embracing the civic process of voting. VOA’s Laurel Bowman has our story.]]
((nat sound – “thank you … our first mock voter … yay” ))
((NARRATOR))
Student leaders at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland, recently set up a mock polling booth, with sample ballots, and invited election officials to conduct voter education.
It’s an effort to get students ready to vote in the November U.S. presidential election.
(( For radio: Britney Green is an organizer of the mock polling exercise. ))
((Britney Green, Mock Polling Organizer))
“Today’s event was all about voter education and letting people see the polls, see what they were going to experience at the polls …”
((NARRATOR))
Participants like Akhyan Damang seem appreciative.
((Akhyan Damang, Mock Polling Participant))
“I just wanted to see how it feels like voting the first time. This is my first time voting for the presidential election, and I wanted to see the procedure.”
((NARRATOR)) These young voters care about a range of issues.
((Nnamdi Ifejuka, Mock Polling Participant))
“Financial issues with the debt of the country. I don't really understand much of it, but if I look at it, it looks like a big number. // I don’t understand why it’s that high.”
((Libby McClayton, Mock Polling Organizer))
“I would say climate change is important, reproductive rights.”
((Mhambi Musonda, Student Political Organizer))
I think for many people, America’s role in the world is a very important issue particularly for young voters.”
((NARRATOR))
In the U.S. presidential race between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris, most of the students we interviewed would not reveal who they’ll be voting for.
But the U.S. state of Maryland, a stronghold for Democrats, is expected to go for Harris.
So we asked the head of the Georgia Young Republicans, Jacquelyn Harn, what issues matter to her Republican peers. For many, she said, it’s about the economy.
((Jacquelyn Harn, Georgia Young Republicans Chairwoman)) ((SKYPE ))
"Between housing, between inflation with grocery prices and gas prices ever increasing, it’s unaffordable to live and have a family right now.”
((NARRATOR))
And how should campaigns go about reaching young voters?
((Jacquelyn Harn, Georgia Young Republicans Chairwoman)) (( SKYPE))
“You are not going to reach a Gen Z voter with a phone bank or phone calling because they probably have a spam blocker on their phone or they are just not going to answer a number they don’t know. // We are a social media generation. Everything that we look at is on social media. We get our news from social media.”
((NARRATOR))
Democratic social media influencer Harry Sisson agrees.
((Harry Sisson, Social Media Influencer)) ((SKYPE))
“I would say primarily the main news app for young people is probably TikTok. That’s my main platform. I think it’s mostly because it’s digestible. A lot of these news segments you see on TikTok are 30 to 60 seconds.”
((NARRATOR))
Meantime, in Herndon, Virginia, Kamala Harris supporter Camila Alfonzo Meza goes house to house trying to encourage people to vote for her candidate. They don’t always open the door, but she keeps at it.
NATS: "Hi! Definitely Harris Supporters"
((NARRATOR))
She says that Harris replacing President Joe Biden in the presidential race was invigorating for young Democrats.
((Camila Alfonzo Meza, Fairfax Young Democrats Co-president))
“I have seen a big shift in energy and enthusiasm since the vice president became the nominee.”
((NARRATOR)) Alfonzo Meza thinks the Gen Z voting block of over 40 million young people could make a real difference in the presidential election.
((Laurel Bowman, VOA News))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
Subtitles / Dubbing AvailableNo
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateOctober 28, 2024 09:47 EDT
BylineLaurel Bowman
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
