In the weeks before Election Day, Times Opinion needs your help to understand what motivates each generation to vote.
In a world on fire, our readers often describe a sense of displacement, and the fear that they and their children might not have the same lives their parents did. Every generation experienced the pandemic differently, from Zoom classrooms to apartments brimming with young children and isolated retirement communities, locked away from those they love. Combined with the upheaval of the last few months, those experiences, as different as they were, have left a deep and impermeable mark on our politics — radicalizing some generations, alienating others, and exposing our institutional rot to all.
But even before the pandemic, the political differences between generations in America had never been greater, particularly when it came to racial discrimination, immigration policy and economic inequality.
No group is a monolith, but to understand how the generational struggles at the heart of American politics might influence election outcomes in November, we want to hear directly from you, our readers. We’re particularly interested in hearing from younger voters.
Pollsters often ask people to list the most important problems they face right now, and the Times Opinion politics team has narrowed that list to 19 options. We want you to choose the one that matters most to you and then tell us why: What’s at stake for you personally? What do you hope to change with your vote?
We plan to publish a selection of responses shortly before the midterm elections. We won’t publish your comments or personal details without contacting you first.
The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And here’s our email: [email protected].
Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram.
