Florida’s youth vote skyrocketed during the recent midterm elections after high-profile turnout efforts by the survivors of the Parkland school shooting, new state data reveals.
According to the data, 37% of the state’s 18- to 29-year-olds voted in November, compared to the 22% who voted in the 2014 midterms.
“That’s great. That is certainly a great running start. The question is, how long can we keep the momentum going?” Cameron Kasky, a survivor of the February 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., told the Daily News Wednesday.
Kasky, 18, helped organize the March for Our Lives nationwide student protest in March 2018 that inspired hundreds of thousands of people to rally for gun reform.
His hard work landed him on the cover of Time magazine along with fellow Parkland activists Jaclyn Corin, Emma Gonzalez, David Hogg and Alex Wind.
“I love hard work, and I like it when it works, but the fact of the matter is, you gotta be excited about what you did and use that energy to focus on the future and not rest on your laurels,” Kasky told The News.
“We’re optimistic, energized and excited, but we’re already looking to the future and what comes next,” he said.
Experts said the recent 15-point spike for Florida’s under-30 voting block was especially notable considering midterm election turnout is typically low.
“Turnout was up across the board, (but) it was up at a higher rate among younger voters without question,” Dan Smith, the University of Florida political science professor who analyzed the voter data released by Florida’s Department of State last week, told the Associated Press.
Kasky and his fellow March for Our Lives activists held town halls with lawmakers and visited two dozen states in 60 days over the summer to spread their message and encourage young people to vote.
They refrained from endorsing candidates or political parties but repeatedly criticized politicians like Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and others who support the National Rifle Association.
With News Wire Services
