The bite does not strike a chord with young voters:

– Black lives matter, yells Joy Harrold, skating away in the middle of the demo train rolling through San Jose, California.

The response to the clamor is immediate and soon the more than 200 protesters will shout in chorus “Black lives matter.”

Many of them have slogans like “Unfund the police” and “Repairs for slavery now!” inked on t-shirts and cardboard signs. In other words, there is no shortage of political enthusiasm, but when it comes to the impending presidential election, the rolling horde is not that close.

– I supported Bernie during the primaries. I had a progressive agenda that both myself and my friends enjoyed. It was repulsive to see how the center-right candidates rallied against him for Biden to win, says roller skating demonstrator Amanda Trippler during a respite at a stoplight.

She herself will vote for Biden in November, but emphasizes that there is a choice between two evils.

– Many in my generation will not vote for Biden. Many will not vote at all. They are waiting for a democratic candidate who wants to abolish the police and create a more just society. And I completely understand it, she says.

Generational change

This year’s presidential election is, in many ways, a milestone in American election history.

For decades, the so-called baby boomers have dominated American politics. The generation, born between 1946 and 1964, has nurtured Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump and has been the largest electorate in all presidential elections since 1980.

But this year, they are likely to be passed down by the so-called millennial generation, who were born between 1981 and 1996.

The millennial generation differs from baby boomers and older generations in several areas. Among other things, they are more ethnically diverse and more educated than previous generations. Opinion polls also show that they have different political views.

While 45 percent of all baby boomers believe that climate change is man-made, 56 percent of all millennials agree with the same statement, according to the Pew Research Center.

The same research center also claims that the millennial generation is more likely to believe that African Americans are discriminated against in the United States, and the age group also has more liberal political views on abortion and LGBT rights.

Free health care and education

In addition to this, the millennial generation wants more government intervention than those who are older than them, and many want to do a higher education for free.

– I think it’s absurd that you have to take out expensive loans to get an education, says Surenmaa Sukhbataar, 25, whom TV 2 knows in San Francisco.

He also hopes that in the future, the United States will provide citizens with free health care.

– Medical care should not be a privilege. It should be a human right, he says.

Sukhbataar was recently granted US citizenship and votes for the first time.

– I would like to be more excited about the November elections. Trump has divided people in recent years, and I honestly think he has bad morale. And Biden … The man is crazy, Sukhbataar says.

Next to her, on the stairs outside the Victorian home in San Francisco, is Kyle Ludwig.

– Honey, don’t say that, he says and smiles.

But he’s also not a devoted Biden supporter.

– I’m not exactly excited about the vote this year. I’m very confused, he says.

Low involvement

Although Biden has a low price among many of the young people, the millennial generation as a whole is closer to the Democratic party than to the Republican. Opinion polls also show that they are more likely to vote for Biden than Trump.

But the question is whether they will vote at all.

In 2016, participation was relatively low among the millennial generation. Only 51 percent of those eligible to vote cast their vote, while the turnout among baby boomers was 69 percent.

“Young people don’t vote as often as seniors, as has always been the case,” says political scientist Timothy Nokken of Texas Tech University, continuing:

– But in the last elections they were also in a situation in which none of the candidates awakened a particular commitment among young people. I think that was the main reason so many stayed home. This year I think it will be different. But that’s mostly speculation on my part. I think many people consider this to be a very important choice.

– But the 2016 election was also characterized as a very important election. And doesn’t it look exactly like Biden wakes up commitment?

– No, but Biden doesn’t like it either. Also, I think that four years with Trump have turned on a lot of Democratic couch potato voters, and many probably feel that this is an even more important presidential election than last time. Several of them probably also learned from the surprising outcome of the 2016 election. Democrats also appear to have improved on voter mobilization in recent years and during the by-elections two years ago, turnout was relatively high among young voters, even here in Texas. , he says.

Recruitment in the field

Back in San Jose, Brad Simmons has a ton of registration forms. Since the roller skating demonstration attracts many young people, take the opportunity to educate them on how they can register before the deadline expires.

Progress is currently weak, and Simmons himself is far from certain that turnout will increase significantly over the previous time.

– It depends on many factors. We don’t know how many polling stations will be open on Election Day and many are not used to voting by mail either.

Simmons has not decided who he will vote for this year.

– I will probably vote for the Green Party, he says.

– Democrats don’t take climate challenges seriously and I’d like to say that.

Joy Harrold supported Bernie Sanders during the primary election and shares many of Simmons’ views, but believes the time has come to fight Donald Trump.

– I have lost a lot of confidence in the authorities and the political system, but my attitude is that now we must concentrate on the November elections. Bernie Sanders won’t be back, at least not right away. We must vote for Biden now.