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What Is The Disengagement Of Young People?

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As an international student, this is my first time witnessing the process of the presidential election here in the United States. Based on how people behave and converse, I have realized that it was crucial to vote in the 2016 presidential election. This year, America had two of the most controversial candidates competing for the presidency. Donald Trump ran under the Republican Party while Hillary Clinton ran under the Democratic Party. Because most people had strong feelings toward each candidate, there had been a lot of pressure to vote. As a Xavier University student, I witnessed this pressure as I saw people meeting to discuss the importance of voting, politically affiliated clubs holding forums to discuss the best strategies to influence voters, and the Student Government Association providing free shuttle rides that took students to the voting stations. This is why claims about the disengagement of young people baffle me. Many people, especially the older generation, argue that Millennials are disengaged in political activity and voting (Dalton 54). This claim is false because Millennials engage in politics through taking part in campaigns, volunteering, and are well informed on political issues. On the other hand, Millennials’ voter turnout is low because even though they try to be involved in politics, politicians do not engage them; this means that politicians are not interested in Millennials.
Young people participate in politics differently from the older

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