The table, covered in goodies, was set up near the entrance to Community College of Philadelphia in the northeastern United States. "Register to vote," urges a poster. The initiative, organized by this public institution of higher education, aimed to get young people to register to vote ahead of the Democratic and Republican primaries, scheduled for April 23 in Pennsylvania, and the presidential election on November 5. A young girl who will turn 18 this summer stopped to fill out the form. In all, 11 people registered in two hours on Wednesday, March 13. "We celebrate every one of them," explained Olivia Edwards, program manager. "But there's a lot of apathy. Many young people tell us they don't know if they want to go vote..."

It's a good illustration of the state of mind of the under-30s, who, barring any last-minute surprise, aren't too keen on the idea of reliving the same match-up as four years ago between Democratic incumbent Joe Biden and his Republican predecessor Donald Trump. The latter is now the only Republican candidate in the running since his rival Nikki Haley dropped out following her defeat on Super Tuesday, March 5. Two competitors whose unpopularity is reaching record highs.

At both Community College or Temple Public University, two schools catering to students with diverse socio-economic profiles, most students bemoaned a choice "between two bad options" when they were being polite and "crap" when they were not.

'Nothing has really changed'

With the election shaping up to be very close, the under-30s represent a significant electoral force. Although they traditionally vote less than their elders, they were particularly active in 2020. 50% percent of them turned out at the polls, up 11 points from 2016, with Biden being the big beneficiary, according to Circle, a research center attached to Tufts University (Massachusetts). The stakes are particularly high in swing states, which are likely to go either way. Four years ago, for example, the Democrat won Pennsylvania by just 80,000 votes over the Republican. "Joe Biden needs to win over young voters," said Daniel Hopkins, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. "He needs them to get involved, especially because one of Donald Trump's strengths is that he can generate a lot of turnout among his voters."

While both candidates have been criticized for their age – Biden is 81, Trump will be 78 by the time of the election – the former has faced the brunt of these attacks. His "memory issues" are often mentioned by students when they're not talking about "dementia." "It bothers me to have someone so high up freeze in the middle of a speech," said 22-year-old Colette (who did not wish to give her surname, like all those mentioned by their first names). "And yet we're supposed to trust him to make important decisions..." Like her, many voted for Biden four years ago. But the enthusiasm raised during the 2020 Democratic primaries by Bernie Sanders, who was also close to 80 at the time, and partly recaptured by Biden, has evaporated.

You have 55.68% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.