The Z Vote: Students in Chicago schools cast ballots for the first time in the 2024 election, deciding between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump

CHICAGO (WLS) — ABC7 brings you a new series called ‘The Z Vote’ where we delve into the political issues on the minds of Gen Zers.

It is very likely that the vote of Generation Z will play a major role in the November elections. A group of local students cast their votes for the first time on Friday.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

Chicago students who have started voting are creating a domino effect that extends beyond the first voters. The weeks of research and classroom conversations about the importance of voting have generated excitement among those who voted, their peers and even their parents.

“The 2016 election, and I remember being a little kid. I was super sad. I was crying,” said first-time voter McKenzie Monroe. “I asked my mother, ‘Why can’t I vote?'”

Now Monroe is all grown up, at least when it comes to voting rights.

“We can really help young people ages 18 to 25 believe that their vote counts, because it does,” Monroe said.

The 18-year-old Butler College Prep student, who has always been politically active, joined a group of new voters who were cheered on Friday by a marching band, dancers and their peers as they headed to the polls.

“Some of them said, ‘I’m not going to vote. It doesn’t really matter today,'” said Joy Pryor, an English teacher at Butler College Prep. “After everything we did today, now they’re saying, ‘I can’t wait to vote.’”

The students were taught almost every day to conduct local and national research into candidates.

“When I vote, I feel like I can change the world now,” said first-time voter Demie Evans.

VOTER GUIDE | ABC7 Chicago Your Vote, Your Vote 2024 Voter Guide

“I feel like all votes count, and I feel like our votes count,” Latrell Greenwood said.

The excitement spreads to those who are not yet eligible to vote and to everyone connected to them.

“Some adults even said, ‘oh, I can go to this site,’ you know, because they became more aware,” Pryor said.

The generational impact is why Jasmine Stakehouse, a Butler College Prep alumnus and second-time voter, came to support the students Friday. She said it was her grandmother who taught her the value of voting and that’s something she wants the next generation to have.

“The 2016 election was definitely a wake-up call for me. It was the first time I realized everything was happening and how it could affect things,” Stakehouse said. ‘Just me, my grandmother and my aunt. We’re all going to vote together. It’s just something we do.”

It will be crucial as every vote will count in this election. A New York Times poll shows that Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are effectively deadlocked at 48% each, showing a tightening in the polls in recent weeks.

SEE ALSO | Kamala Harris appeals to Black men as Generation Z voters say policies matter most

Monroe said she is completely committed to Harris, but said it doesn’t matter who you lean toward, just vote.

“Our ancestors fought for us to have this opportunity, and so it doesn’t matter whether you vote red or blue,” Monroe said. “Go out and vote.”