Young voters poised to shape Minnesota’s 2024 presidential outcome
A study shows that Minnesota’s 18- to 29-year-old population could have the sixth-highest influence in the country in the 2024 presidential race.
By Isak Dinesen, The Forum
September 19, 2024
MOORHEAD — Early voting starts Friday, Sept. 20, in Minnesota, and that state’s youngest voters are prepared to have a big influence on which presidential candidate wins the state.
Minnesota State University Moorhead’s campus is filled with students like Megan Oyerly — 2024 will be her first time voting in a presidential election.
For some, the act of voting is something you just do.
“My mom and dad would meet at the polls and we’d go in, but me and my brother would go with them and we’d always get the stickers,” she said. “And we’d always sit with them, right behind the box, just being like, ‘Oh look, they’re filling in bubbles.’ “
In this year’s election, younger voters will have a lot of influence.
A study from Tufts University shows that Minnesota’s 18- to 29-year-old population could have the sixth-highest influence in the country for the 2024 presidential race.
“I think it’s super empowering to hear that, being that we are in that age gap,” Amanda Lantern, MSUM student, said.
“That’s a significant number, so if we all have similar rights and values and ideals, then we can make a change,” fellow MSUM student Jeff Salinas-Jenni said.
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Visit the Student Voter Engagement website to help make your plan to vote.