The Struggle to Engage Michigan's – and America's – Youth – Annenberg Media

DETROIT – Jorge Palafox registered to vote at a bus station three weeks ago.

He works with his father in construction four days a week. He goes to community college every other day to take English classes and study auto mechanics. The 18-year-old said he was still undecided about who to vote for president in one of the most critical battlegrounds in the race for the White House. His father keeps asking, but Palafox says he needs more information.

“More money for me, for the people,” said the Mexican immigrant about his wishes for the future. While Palafox said former President Donald Trump's immigration policies seem “radical” at times, he just wants to “vote for the person who does that.” [will] improve the economy.”

Palafox said he simply doesn't know yet who that person is: Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris.

Conversations with dozens of other young voters in Michigan last week revealed a growing sense of disillusionment and uncertainty about the Nov. 5 presidential election, now less than five weeks away. At campaign stops, football games, college campuses and protests in swing states, Generation Z, or 18- to 29-year-old, voters expressed concerns about the two candidates.

“Basically we’re f—–d,” said Jo Blocton, 22, who voted “non-committal” in the Democratic primary.

Blocton is one of more than 100,000 Michigan voters in the “Uncommitted” movement who protested President Joe Biden's support for Israel's bombings in response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, a militant group described by the U.S. as According to the United Nations, 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since then.

The “non-binding” efforts in February have only intensified in the months since Biden left the race, as a protest last week in Dearborn showed.

Michigan is home to the nation's largest concentration of Arab Americans, a key voting bloc that both Harris and Trump are hoping to win over in the swing state. But students like Blocton, who was an active member of a pro-Palestinian camp at Wayne State University earlier this year, are not convinced. Harris has not deviated much from Biden's policies in the Middle East, even as escalation increases.

Hundreds of green and red Lebanese flags flew parallel to Palestinian flags at the rally. More than 1,000 people, many with family in Lebanon, came to protest an Israeli offensive against Hezbollah. Several participants blamed Harris and Biden for U.S. arms shipments to Israel, whose airstrikes in Lebanon have already caused over 1,500 civilian casualties, according to the United Nations.

For many in this group, the question is not who to vote for; It's about whether you should vote at all. Some said Trump was unable to defuse conflict and restore peace, but Harris' actions were incomprehensible. Generation Z participants were clear to reporters: None of the nominees can expect to vote in November.

According to the Michigan Secretary of State, nearly 1.3 million Gen Zers are registered to vote in Michigan. Biden won the state in the 2020 presidential election by just over 150,000 votes, with nearly 16% of the total votes cast by youth.

Blocton, a lifelong resident of Wayne County, is majoring in psychology with a minor in music. The fifth-grader spoke about the presidential race between classes at Wayne State University last week. You're worried about moving to Florida next year for graduate school. Blocton said they felt “a lot of pressure” to vote for Harris and protect reproductive rights. A Harris presidency would be “better than fascism,” they said.

Others support Trump, pointing to something he has used throughout the year on the campaign trail: There were no wars during his time in office.

“You want to kill people in your countries? That's okay. But if you do that, I will charge you a fee [a] 200% tariff on business with the United States,” Trump said Friday at a town hall in Warren, Michigan. “They called me back two days later. Sir, we have made peace.” The crowd packed into the Macomb County Community College nodded in agreement.

Christina Paciocco, 25, waited hours to see Trump speak. She came to City Hall alone but joined another mother in line.

Paciocco has two children, ages four and five, and said she had difficulty feeding them after a recent car accident. She said her children's health benefits have just been cut while prices and energy bills have risen.

“I’m traveling and working all the time,” said Paciocco, who has never voted in a presidential election before. She is currently unemployed but takes odd jobs in the service industry. “There needs to be a change.”

Under Trump, who promises to crack down on immigration and secure the U.S.-Mexico border, Paciocco hopes her next four years in Macomb County will be easier.

“That’s not fair,” she said. “They take from us.”

Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, attended several events in Michigan last week and he plans to return next week. Harris has been to the state several times and returns Thursday. On Saturday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, met with students at the University of Michigan.

Eric Veal Jr., 20, was among the group that greeted Walz at the airport. He also works for the Harris Walz campaign as an operations and leadership intern.

“Voters are excited to see the new energy in the campaign,” said Veal, who told a reporter that he spoke with Walz about education equity. Veal's mother is an elementary school teacher, so he appreciates Walz's background as a former educator.

“We have a lot at stake this year,” Veal said. “Students support Kamala's message: 'We are not going back'.”

A recent poll from the Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics shows Harris had a 31-point lead over Trump among Generation Z voters. Young Democrats are more likely to vote than young Republicans, with Harris outperforming Trump on key issues like climate change, abortion and gun violence prevention.

The race will be decided in the small parts of this state by its 15 electoral votes.

It's up to Harris and Trump to motivate their people and convince undecided voters in less than 35 days.

Palafox knows. Like many other first-time voters, he's just looking forward to finally casting his vote in November – once he figures out who he wants to be president.