Inflation, ICE, bitter politics: What's driving Gen Z voters across Long Island to cast their ballot

When President Donald Trump campaigned across the country in 2024 with a promise to "Make America affordable again," Hofstra University freshman Mackenzie Braxton was not old enough to vote. But she still saw how the message resonated with her family and friends.

"A lot of the reasons why people voted in the last election for the current president was because he promised, [to] put more money in your pockets ... save you money and inflation would go down and gas prices would go down," Braxton, a Baltimore resident who plans on mailing in her ballot, said. "But I feel like we see the opposite thing happen."

Braxton, now 18, was among dozens of college students interviewed by Newsday who said runaway inflation, aggressive immigration enforcement and bitter party politics were among the top issues driving them to the polls on Nov. 3.

While young voters have favored Democrats in recent history — marked largely by the 2008 election when a youth wave helped elect President Barack Obama — Trump’s election in 2024 shifted that. Republicans won 47% of young voters aged 18-29, while Democrats had 46%. Now, Trump’s approval ratings are lowest among his youngest supporters, and the question remains whether Gen Z voters will return to blue or abstain from voting in the midterms.

"The country as a whole just needs to come together, no matter what party you're in, and all agree that, especially right now, [America] is not the easiest place to live" in terms of affordability, Braxton told Newsday.

The country as a whole just needs to come together, no matter what party you're in, and all agree that, especially right now, [America] is not the easiest place to live.
– Mackenzie Braxton, 18, Hofstra University 

Her concerns line up with nearly half of Long Islanders between 18 and 34 polled earlier this year who said they were not confident they could afford to stay on Long Island. Since the war in Iran began, gas prices have skyrocketed from $2.98 per gallon to $4.29 this week. Grocery costs, too, have gone up for many Americans.

"Buying food is definitely a struggle," said Hofstra student Roddmys Almanzar, 18, of Queens. "The prices have definitely gone up, and you kind of have to ration it out ... What am I buying today? What do I really need?"

Miranda Cabrera, 18, a student at Hunter Business School, said the rising costs have put added stress on her daily commute to school.

"I go to the grocery stores, and how come eggs are $8? I mean that that's ridiculous. And then gas," she said. "That's just too much and unreasonable, especially if you drive every day."

‘Nothing you can do’

Many students also voiced anger and sadness about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.

Hunter Business School student Tim Li, 25, of East Meadow, said it was a top issue, pushing him to vote for the first time.

"I hear a lot of innocent people [being] taken off the streets," he said. "They’re restaurant owners, or just like hardworking people. They pay the taxes. Most of them have no criminal records. ... Their families are worried. So, I think that's a big problem."

Riley Kinhan, 18, of Hofstra University, said some of her friends live in fear of deportation.

“[My friend] has to keep her immigration status card on the back of her phone at all times. When she can't find her phone, she gets scared," she said.

But Nassau County Community College student Jakari Junior, 18, said he didn't think his vote would change the course of immigration policy.

"There’s a lot of immigrants around here. It’s sad for them to get arrested by [ICE], but it’s really nothing you can do about it," he said.

Junior also represents a large swath of young Americans who have yet to decide how to cast their ballots. While he said he was excited to vote for the first time, Junior admitted, "I don’t know who I’m going to vote for."

More than 40 other students Newsday approached at Nassau Community College that morning declined to be interviewed. Many said they weren’t aware of the election or that they hadn’t kept up much with politics.

While 47% of Gen Z voters nationally said in July they intended to vote for Democrats in the midterms and 24% said they planned to vote for Republicans, nearly 30% said they were voting for another party or hadn’t made a decision yet, according to a Pew Research poll.

Meanwhile, 85% of those over 50 years old were certain which way they were voting.

Hunter Business School student Adrianna Guida, 22, of Island Park, was still undecided. "Honestly, it's kind of a debate for me because I really don't have a very big political stand. I try not to get involved with it. It's just not really my thing," she said. 

‘Not the easiest place to live’

Several students told Newsday they didn’t feel represented by either major political party, and that local races weren't resonating with them.

Arib Khan, 22, said he vehemently disagreed with Blakeman, whom he described as a "rubber stamp for Trump," a claim Blakeman has dismissed. Still, the Nassau Community College student said he was not comfortable casting a ballot to reelect Gov. Kathy Hochul, whom he criticized over her views on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"I’m registered as a Democrat, but I would not say that I am a Democrat, per se," he said. "I don’t feel totally represented by the party. ... Overall, do I feel represented by either Republicans or Democrats? No."

Khan is not unique in his frustration with the two-party system. Fifty years ago, 33% of Americans said they were unaffiliated voters, compared to 36% who said they were Democrats and 31% who identified as Republican, according to Gallup data from past polls. Last year, a record-high number of Americans — 45% — identified as political independents. Meanwhile, 27% each of U.S. voters said they were Republicans or Democrats.

“[Local] races matter more than people recognize. If you want to make change internationally, you should start locally," Khan said. But, "The candidates have not been very outspoken about issues I’m concerned about. I feel like they haven’t done enough to win me over."

Khan was not the only student who felt this way. Even among students who said voting was important, most weren’t sure who was on the ballot.

Andraw Sodomyor,  19, of New Hyde Park, said the campaign ads he has seen haven't taught him much about candidates. "The two parties, they are like kids fighting each other, I don’t know. It makes me laugh sometimes," he said.

Hofstra University student Gianni Livigni, 19, said he was tired of seeing misleading, heavily edited campaign ads attacking Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) and Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman.

"A lot of our local politicians on Long Island, the most I've been seeing about them has been slander ads on streaming services, on Instagram, on TikTok. And for me to know about them, I've had to dig into the newspaper," said Livigni of Port Washington. “[For] up-and-coming voters, it's not inclining them to take political action."