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鈥淏eing a young voter in D.C., I鈥檇 say it鈥檚 a little intimidating鈥� just because I feel like there’s been people who have been doing it for a while, who have felt like it’s their birthright and have continued to be very vocal about the fact that they’ve been voting for a while,鈥� said Theo Eggimann, a first-time voter in the 2024 election.听

Gen-Z voters in the district are voting in one of the most politically charged cities of the nation, and have been challenged with the pressure of staying politically informed while also shaping the future of democracy.听

Eggimann, 19, is one of the many Gen-Z voters that has newly gained eligibility to vote, but he is also living in the nation鈥檚 capital during a weighty election season.

鈥淲hen it comes to democracy and voting鈥� [it鈥檚] one of the fundamental rights that you get as a US citizen,鈥� Eggimann said.听

Eggimann said that being in D.C. during election time is 鈥渁 little scary,鈥� but he鈥檚 more enthusiastic to have his first voting experience in the city.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really exciting to finally make my voice heard instead of having to go protest and go advocate for what I think is right and not being able to put votes behind it,鈥� he said.听

The excitement around elections isn鈥檛 experienced similarly across all of Gen-Z, and as a 25-year-old, Jared Rutherford said the elections have always felt 鈥渧ery contentious.鈥�

鈥淥n one hand, the elections matter even more now鈥� but there鈥檚 also the threat of 鈥榙oes our vote actually matter when people can just go and try to steal and overturn the election?鈥欌�� Rutherford said.听

The 2024 election will be Rutherford鈥檚 second time voting, though this will be his first time voting in D.C.

鈥淧art of the reason why I moved to D.C. was to be more involved in what鈥檚 going on and kind of be at the epicenter of it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 went to the Harris rally speech on Tuesday, and so it was really cool just to be in the middle of everything.鈥�听

While Rutherford has been heavily invested in this election season, he said he doesn鈥檛 know how this election will go with so much on the line.听

鈥淚 want to believe in the democratic process, but鈥� I mean, countries rise and fall, unfortunately,鈥� he said.听

Patrick Thaddeus Jackson is an international studies professor at American University and said that D.C. is 鈥渁bsolutely a unique place to be鈥� during this election season.听

Jackson said he has lived in the district for the past two decades, and while he is not a new voter, he encourages Gen-Z to step into the new power that they have gained as citizens.

鈥淚 think that’s important to recognize that Gen-Z has power because you are this new group that everybody is sort of competing for,鈥� Jackson said.听

Candidates in the 2024 election have taken the initiative to gain the attention of young voters in ways they haven鈥檛 previously, such as the rise of celebrity endorsements and the use of ads and campaigns that are Gen-Z coded.听

But he warned against the attention grabs of social media , and advises young voters to be 鈥渉ealthily skeptical鈥� of the information seen on social platforms.听

鈥淭here are a lot of concerns competing for your attention and a lot of them are not particularly principled and so they’re not interested in being factual,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ne of the dangers of social media is precisely that it rewards like spontaneous instant reaction, as opposed to reflection.鈥�听

Anthony Ahrens is a professor of psychology at American University who also recognizes how impressionable social media can be for Gen-Z, and how it can invoke stress while making critical decisions like voting.

鈥淪ocial media will give us a feed that will meet what our demand is. We鈥檙e demanding to find out what we’re afraid about, and they’ll give it to us,鈥� Ahrens said.听

While Ahrens could not speak much on the psychological impact of being a Gen-Z voter in D.C., he understands why young adults are experiencing fears around making the right decision.听

鈥淭he election is so fraught. There are a lot of issues that people feel very deeply about, and I think for a very good reason, and so there’s going to be the challenge of navigating that,鈥� Ahrens said.

Ahrens acknowledges that there are 鈥済ood reasons鈥� why young voters are feeling uncertainty during this election and offers advice to young voters of both parties.听

鈥淚f your side loses, that will have things for which you’re going to be legitimately not happy. And that’s true.鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat will be one point in time at which there can at least be a hope that the things that you care about could perhaps win subsequently.鈥�听