Doubt, indecision remain among millennials for election

With a clipboard in one hand and a pen in the other, Wayne State University student Zach Kilgore approached several students Wednesday on the bustling campus and asked them one simple question: Are you registered to vote?

For Kilgore, there's much at stake in the November general election. And many millennials agree.

►Related:Jesse Jackson to Detroit youth: Get out and vote

Bogged down by student loan debt, rising tuition costs and rent, Kilgore said many of his peers not only are paying special attention to this election, but are carefully weighing their options as things continue to heat up between Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump.

"Right now, college students face a lot of problems that are unprecedented," said Kilgore, 22, president of the Wayne State College Democrats. "I live close to campus, and my rent is steadily going up by $75. It's ridiculous."

Kilgore, who graduated last  spring with an undergraduate degree in urban studies, just began his first year of graduate school and said many millennials have had trouble finding jobs upon graduation. He's hoping the candidates make issues affecting millennials more of a priority.

"I'm voting for Hillary," Kilgore said. "She is very reasonable and looks at different policy options."

Kilgore and dozens of other students gathered Wednesday in the university's student center ballroom to hear actor Sean Astin —  known for playing Samwise Gamgee in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, Rudy Ruettiger in "Rudy" and Mikey Walsh in  "The Goonies" — as he campaigned for Clinton across a handful of universities in southeast Michigan.

Astin's visit was one of several events aimed at getting out the youth vote.

Secretary of State Ruth Johnson, along with other officials, also were at Wayne State, in what was the first stop for the Secretary of State's Mobile Office, which is on a 3,000-mile tour of 18 Michigan universities to give students and others the chance to register to vote.

And earlier Wednesday in Detroit, the Rev. Jesse Jackson spoke to seniors at Cass Tech high school in Detroit, urging them to register.

“You are not our future. You are our right now,” Jackson told the students.

Alexandria Di Cresce, 20, a WSU junior, also is a Clinton supporter. Di Cresce said she plans to do all she can to re-energize other millennials who came out in droves in 2008 and 2012 to vote for President Barack Obama.

"Hillary has the best agenda, the best policies," she said. "Some of the ways Trump is trying to alter this state (shows) that he would not be the best candidate to represent America, especially overseas. Hillary has a lot of experience politically, and her influence would really help to fix the problems that we have here.

"There are a lot of things going on here, like complications with race. There's so much going on, and I just don't think Trump would have the ability to advance anything."

Although some millennials have already made their minds up, many are on the fence.

When Democrat Bernie Sanders exited the presidential race in July, many young adults weren't sure whether they would switch support to Clinton, Trump, vote for an independent, third-party candidate or go a step further and abandon voting in the election altogether.

Prior to Sanders' exit, polls showed him winning 81% of voters ages 18-29 in Michigan, which made up 19% of those voting in the Michigan Democratic primary —  nearly as big a percentage as those 65 and older, who went for Clinton. Sanders also beat Clinton among 30- to 44-year-olds. Clinton's campaign has acknowledged that winning millennials over is key, especially in a state like Michigan, which is  targeted as a battleground state by Trump.

But an August USA TODAY/Rock the Vote Poll shows Trump could be heading toward the worst showing among younger voters in modern American history. The survey shows Clinton beating Trump 56%-20% among those younger than 35 — even though Clinton has failed to generate the levels of enthusiasm Sanders or Obama did.

But some millennials, such as WSU junior Andrew Dunbar, are planning to vote for Trump. Dunbar, 21, said that while he doesn't agree with all of Trump's stances, he finds himself agreeing with Trump more than any of the other candidates.

Citing a family full of Republicans with conservative beliefs and a military background, Dunbar said he supports some of Trump's stances on the military, but he doesn't agree wholly with parts of his immigration policy, such as building a wall between Mexico and the U.S. Dunbar said his father owns a construction business, which he said has employed many "migrant workers," who he believes are just trying to make an honest living.

WSU sophomore Connor Ashley, 19, said he knows several young adults planning to vote for Trump.

"I grew up on the western side of the state, a more conservative portion, for sure, and being a Democrat from the western side of the state, there were not that many of us," Ashley said. "I have a lot of friends who are Trump supporters and from what I can tell, it's because he speaks off-the-cuff and he is not scripted. When he's scripted, they don't like him as much, but when he can go for 45 minutes to an hour shooting off the hip, they really like that. They see him as a non-Washington insider. ...

"To be honest, I'm scared by the amount of support he has. I'm scared because he would have the nuclear codes. This is someone who clearly is irritated and gets worked up by little things, like Sen. Marco Rubio saying he has small hands."

Ashley said he's voting for Clinton.

"She is the most qualified candidate for presidency that is probably ever going to happen in my lifetime," he said. "She's proven that she can fight and will fight for single mothers and families, she has done great work as secretary of state and as the senator from New York.

"She's been a proven fighter and supporter of LGBTQ rights, and I'm really excited to be voting for her."

Freshman Kamal Hassan, 18, said that while he recognizes the importance of voting, he's still on the fence.

Hassan attended Astin's event and said he has been swayed to register before Michigan's Oct. 11 deadline.

"I originally came out because Astin is such a respected actor, and I honestly just had to see him, but then he started talking and I was just polarized instantly," Hassan said. "I'm definitely going to register to vote right now, but I don't know, I'm still going to do research on both parties just to make sure that Hillary is what I want, maybe even Independents."

Senior J'Nel Stephens-Dantzler said she's also undecided, but leaning toward Clinton. Despite her indecision, she volunteered to help get students registered to vote.

"I'm still keeping my options open and still trying to do research," Stephens-Dantzler said. " Who we vote for, it has an effect on us. ... I'm trying to figure out the place I'm going to have in my country as an African-American woman."

Astin, 45, said he has been on the campaign trail for Clinton since she first ran in 2008 against Obama. Astin said he has been visiting college campuses across the country and is hoping to drill the importance of voting — regardless of the choice of candidate.

"Millennials are an energetic breed, and all progress is achieved through energy, so you want to find people who have that natural well and tap into it," Astin said in an interview with the Free Press. "This cycle  has been extraordinary for bringing new people into the process.

"Now more than ever, millennials need to rise up and support the people who have experience. Before we blink our eyes, the millennials are going to be looking behind them and saying, 'Hey, I need support from the people coming up behind me.' It's easy  for young people to underappreciate the impact they can have on the generation above them."

Contact Katrease Stafford: kstafford@freepress.com or 313-223-4759. Staff Writer Joe Guillen contributed