Voters are interested in the 2016 presidential election, but they’re far from happy about it. Fifty five percent are helpless, according to an AP/NORC poll. The number is even more pronounced when it comes to young people as two-thirds feeling helpless.
The most common emotional response about the election was frustration, with 70 percent of respondents saying it describes their feelings. Sixty-five percent are interested, and 52 percent are angry. Very few, 23 percent, are excited, and 13 percent are proud.
The strongest feeling came from the 83 percent who said they did not feel proud about the election.
Voter feelings this election reflect the lack of confidence in the political system. The poll “helps explain the rise of outsider candidates Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders and suggests challenges ahead for fractures parties that must come together to win this fall,” AP reported.
That rise comes with low rankings for the GOP and Democratic Party. Six in 10 Americans think the GOP is only slightly or not at all open to ideas or candidates outside the political establishment, with about half saying the same about Democrats.
Trump has earned the necessary number of delegates to become the presumptive nominee and has a following. Nominating the outsider isn’t enough, however, as Hillary Clinton has polled better among young people in a general election match-up.
Young people don’t particularly like Hillary, though, and overwhelmingly prefer Bernie Sanders in state primaries and national polls. The demographic found their candidate, but it wasn’t enough to hand him the nomination, especially with the lack of youth voter turnout. Voter turnout isn’t the only culprit, as party leadership and the superdelegate system deserve the blame.
Running against Trump might be Hillary’s answer to her problem with youth voters as some polls show, but he has gained on her in recent polls. The helpless young voters staying home could also spell trouble for Hillary.
Young people make up the largest voting bloc, but this is hardly something to celebrate when they have the lowest turnout. That so many feel helpless doesn’t bode well for getting them to vote this election or in the future until both parties shape up.
