Young voters in Utah report feeling discouraged by presidential candidates

SALT LAKE CITY — With Election Day almost a week away, some young voters in Utah say they feel disappointed in their choices for president. 

Students at the University of Utah said they care about reproductive rights, taxes, and whether or not candidates are looking out for the interests of young voters.

U of U freshman Jack Marshall said he feels like Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are taking his generation for a fool with some of their campaign efforts toward younger voters.

“It kind of feels like they’re buying influencers, people that people look up to. Especially our generation, we can kind of see when they’re trying to appeal to us instead of trying to actually do something for us,” Marshall said.

Riley, another U of U student, said she feels discouraged by the current state of American politics.

“I’m a female. So my rights — the fact that they’re still in question — is really frustrating and I don’t really feel like there will be a solution either way.”

Neither of the students said they felt represented by either presidential candidate.

“Both are a little bit too severe that there’s never really going to be a middle ground, so then it’s making both sides kind of look really horrible,” Riley said.

“It definitely just makes me want to be less involved in politics and care less about what’s going on in the world. Makes it feel like no matter what source you can consume, it’s not really trustworthy,” Marshall said.

Although some young voters described disappointment towards both Trump and Harris’s campaigns leading up to the election, student Ury Eze said he still felt compelled to cast his ballot.

“I’ve voted already. So I’m confident about the person I chose,” Eze said.

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