Like a lot of young Americans, I used to think that my vote didn’t matter. So, it’s with chagrin that I admit that during the 2024 presidential election, I didn’t cast a ballot. As a progressive living in Florida — a conservative-leaning state for as long as I can remember — I’d convinced myself that the outcome of the election was inevitable, and that my vote wouldn’t make a difference.
But now, two years later, I see things very differently.
Over the last two years, politics have become more than something I scroll past on social media or hear discussed on the news. Since President Donald Trump’s reelection and the events that have transpired since, I started realizing that by disengaging, I was inadvertently helping sustain the political environment I was so frustrated with. I came to understand that choosing not to participate politically was still a choice, and one that carried its own set of consequences. This pushed me to become more intentional about understanding the policies and decisions that affect myself and the people around me. I started engaging in conversations about the future of our country. I took on writing assignments that covered national political issues. And yes, I voted in the 2026 midterms.
Seeing Florida stay red wasn’t easy. There were moments when the results were coming in when it felt less like I was participating in democracy and more like watching the state I call home move in the same destructive direction it always has. But this time around, my disappointment wasn’t accompanied by the same sense of helplessness I felt in 2024. Instead, I found myself more motivated than ever to stay involved after the election results were called.
For one, Florida’s election results still offered plenty to celebrate. Republican candidates only achieved very narrow leads in several statewide races. According to NBC News, in the gubernatorial election, Republican Byron Donalds received approximately 50.01% of the vote, compared with Democrat David Jolly’s 48.72%. The margin was less than two percentage points, compared to the last gubernatorial race in 2022, when Republican Ron DeSantis won the race against Democrat Charlie Crist by around 19 points. So while this year’s results may not have reflected the change many progressive Floridians hoped to see, they also demonstrated that the state’s political future isn’t necessarily settled by the assumptions people make about it. (And, of course, that every vote really does count!)
There’s a very real possibility of young voters flipping Florida in 2028 or beyond.
There’s also another part of the election worth paying attention to: young voters. According to Axios, an analysis of New York Times election data found that 64% of Florida voters between the ages of 18 and 29 supported Democratic Senate candidate Angie Nixon, compared with 34% who supported Republican incumbent Ashley Moody, who narrowly won the race. On a national level, Tufts University’s Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) estimated that 66% of young voters supported Democratic candidates in U.S. House races, compared with 31% who supported Republicans. If this trend continues as more Gen Zers become eligible to vote, there’s a very real possibility of young voters flipping Florida in 2028 or beyond.
For so long, I viewed Florida through the lens of political disappointment and a place of hopelessness. It was easier to imagine a future somewhere else than to imagine one where I could feel represented in my own home state. But like so many other Floridians, I don’t want to spend the rest of my life treating Florida like a lost cause. And now, other states have shown me what’s possible. The 2026 midterms saw major seats in multiple traditionally red states — including Ohio, both Carolinas, and even Republican stronghold Texas — flip blue. If it can happen in those states, it can happen here too.
Florida is made up of so much more than its election results.
Millions of people call this state home, and Florida is made up of so much more than its election results. It’s made up of the college students organizing on their campuses, the local journalists asking the hard questions, the community members advocating for their neighbors, and the young people who — like me — are learning that their voices deserve a place in the conversation.
The 2026 election didn’t give me every outcome I wanted. But it reminded me that progress isn’t always immediate, and political engagement can’t be something we only participate in when it looks like the results are going to make us happy. I think about the person I was back in 2024, convinced that my vote wouldn’t count, and how differently I approached politics compared to today. I can’t go back and change that decision, but I can decide what I do moving forward. I’m not sure what Florida’s political future will look like, or how long it’ll take for the changes I hope to see happen, but I do know that I’m willing to stick around and fight for my home state.