First-time teen voter Jordan Heussner opens the door to the Campbell County Elections Office located inside the Campbell County Courthouse last Friday.
County 17 talked to 10 Gillette young adults between 18-24 about their familiarity with local candidates, the issues they care about, and whether or not they plan to vote in tomorrow’s primary elections.
Not all teens care about voting, regardless of their long-awaited right to vote at 18. Based on an informal County 17 survey of 10 local young adults, only seven said they plan to vote in the primary election Aug. 18. Of those seven who planned to vote, only three were registered as of Monday, all of them as Republicans.
Deviin Solberg, one of those who said he would not be voting, cited his disinterest because he said he feels disconnected from local public officials and issues. The 18-year-old recent Campbell County High School (CCHS) graduate admitted he was only semi-informed on the electoral process as a whole and was more familiar with national politics as opposed to local.
“In school, we spent a lot of time debating politics,” Solberg said, “but we never really argued about local problems.”
A lack of understanding about the primaries can cause a lot of stress for first-time voters, Solberg explained.
“If we’re gonna have a say in what happens in the future, then we should probably know what’s going on right now,” he said, noting that he probably should be more aware but not specifically citing the source of stress when it comes to tomorrow’s primaries.
The entire process of voting can confuse young people, he continued, and much like the others surveyed, he was unsure of where to even start.
Perhaps this is the problem; these young adults aren’t sure where to begin given a general lack of information on how the whole process works, they said.
Nine out of 10 surveyed, for example, did not know who their state representatives currently were or in which city council ward they could vote. In fact, most did not even know the various political races taking place, both at the local and state levels. Out of all the candidates running for state and local offices, those polled could only name an average of two.
Others, however, like registered Republican, 20-year-old Ivan Sapien, said that his favorite candidate at the local level – Wes Johnson, who is running for the Campbell County Board of Commissioners – has invested time into social media marketing.
Johnson seemed to be favored among the youngsters polled, with four of them mentioning him by name, unprompted.
“I feel that Wes has done a good job on marketing himself not only to appeal to the younger demographic,” Sapien said. “But also, to gain the respect of many others.”
Johnson has appealed to young voters through multiple platforms, Sapien added. However, throughout surveying, it was revealed that Johnson has had prior experiences with this age group because of his two sons that are 18 and 20 years old. Johnson regularly accompanied his children on class field trips, to sporting activities and other school gatherings for most of their childhood, building familiarity with several children in his kids’ age groups, who’ve since become voting adults.
For young voters, familiarity can play an important role, it seems. Half of those surveyed said they had never met a public official, at any level of government.
Solberg believes that elected officials are lacking in the educational components of their campaigns. He said that despite his feeling obligated to vote, he didn’t want to support a person who doesn’t deserve it.
“I think if these candidates want to appeal to young people, they should speak to high school students,” Solberg said, giving them a piece of advice from his perspective.
“Don’t rely on people knowing who you are, or what your signs are supposed to mean,” he added. “Just tell us what you want and why you deserve it.”
Despite the lack of knowledge of local candidates and their various positions, the majority of those young people polled – six – said they felt a civic and personal responsibility to vote.
One of those is 23-year-old Miles Gies, an intern in the Campbell County Public Works Office’s GIS Division, who said he believes that local candidates do what they can to appeal to voters across the board. Moreover, he said it’s the voter’s – not the candidate’s – responsibility to educate themselves.
“There are multiple resources available to the public regarding voter information,” Gies wrote in response to a survey question.
Gies suggested that those looking for more information should access the interactive map on County webpage. The webpage does not explain, however, each candidate’s political goals or agendas, he noted. Which is what most young voters polled seemed to care about.
Rosario Vasquez, an 18-year-old and full-time employee at the Boys and Girls Club of Campbell County, said her interest in local politics has peaked since the outbreak of COVID-19, adding that she plans to vote during the primary tomorrow.
When the pandemic first broke out, Vasquez was temporarily laid off from work because of state public health orders. The state’s restrictions eased, and eventually, she and her coworkers were able to return to the facility but weren’t able to reopen to the children.
“We would all gather around a computer and watch the Governor’s livestreams, just praying that we could bring the kids back in,” Vazquez said.
To her, the kids are the most rewarding part of the job, and she feels grateful for the opportunity to brighten their days, one student at a time, particularly those kids who don’t have a great home life.
“Our executive director tells us that we’re a ‘safe haven’ for some of the kids,” Vasquez said. “Some of them don’t have the best lives at home, but they are always safe here.”
She liked the idea of safe havens and said that her empathetic attitude toward others has determined many of her political beliefs.
“I just want an official who will bring some new ideas and mottos to Wyoming,” she said. “I think we could change the entire culture just by being nicer at every level.”
Meanwhile, others like Karissa Curtiss said they plan to sit this one out. The 18-year-old and self-proclaimed “liberal,” said there was no point to voting in Gillette, since she was bound to be vastly outnumbered by Republicans.
“There’s no one running that really represents my point of view,” she said. “I’m not going to vote for anyone that I don’t want in that seat.”
