Isa Mohammed (17) is one of those they are fighting for, and that battle is intensifying. Every vote can decide the US presidential election. There are few places where the stakes are as high as in the swing state of Pennsylvania. This is where the 17-year-old, who will soon be 18, lives with his mother, Maryam. It’s just the two of them. Photo: Nora Savosnick / news Donald Trump and his campaign have given up on convincing young men that Trump is their man. Kamala Harris follows up. “Bro vote”, it is called. On TikTok, one political story appears after another. Billions of dollars are pumped into the election campaign here alone. The commercial breaks on TV are full, and the candidates visit every nook and cranny, but the big fight is on the internet. Photo: Nora Savosnick / news Photo: Nora Savosnick / news Most of all he likes to play games, but there are so many people who have strong opinions about what Isa should do this autumn. There was especially a lot when there was a presidential debate in his hometown. – Right now it’s mostly about politics, and there’s a lot of politics on my phone, says Isa. Photo: Nora Savosnick / news The house is neither finished nor perfect, but it doesn’t matter to Isa and her mother Maryam. They do most things together, and every Tuesday there is taco and movie night. It is here southwest of the big city of Philadelphia that he has grown up with his friends, but it is not where he goes to school. Photo: Nora Savosnick / news The school is an hour’s bus ride away. Concerned about the students It is certainly not the closest, but Central High School is considered one of the best in Philadelphia. This is where Isa would go. Photo: Nora Savosnick / news For over 20 years, teacher Thomas Quinn has locked himself in and out of the classrooms here. In the large old brick house just outside the center of town, there has been a secondary school since the beginning of the 19th century. In fact, it is Philadelphia’s very first High School. Experience and history ooze here, but also concern. Photo: Nora Savosnick / news Today social studies is on the timetable. On the blackboard, the differences between the political right and left are chalked up. Quinn has hope for her students. – I want them to be well prepared and to know how to register to vote. It is through knowledge that we increase the turnout of young people, says Quinn. Photo: Nora Savosnick / news – We see a very large increase in turnout among young voters if they have received good training in the electoral system, says Quinn. Status in electorate? Each state in the United States has a given number of electors based on population. Whoever gets the most votes in a state gets all the state’s electors. The candidate with the most electors in total wins the election. Harris 0% support Trump 0% support Average of the latest polls. Updated: Source: 538. More about news’s use of numbers. The influencers Not so many hours away by car, Alexis Winters (24) sits on a stool in a run-down bar in Queens, New York. She is engaged by the Republicans and has one job: To reach out to young people on the internet for the Republicans. Photo: Nora Savosnick / news – I think the internet plays a very big role in reaching young voters, says the 24-year-old. – We don’t watch TV, but are on X, Instagram or TikTok. That is what we also see in politics, says Alexis. Now she spends all her time getting attention for the events that the Young Republicans have in New York. Photo: Nora Savosnick / news 70 percent of all Americans under 30 say they mainly read news on social media. Where TikTok is by far the fastest growing source. This is according to the latest data from Pew Research. But here in Queens, most people agree that there are few things that beat a night out with others. Photo: Nora Savosnick / news Siblings Yannis and Bella Nicolates were scrolling through their feed earlier in the morning and discovered the mail for Alexis and the Republicans. – We wondered what we were going to come up with, and see if anything happened. And voila, here we are, the two say and laugh. Dozens of young people, and some a little older, have gathered at the slightly shabby bar in Queens this evening. On stage there are several short appeals. Photo: Nora Savosnick / news There is food on the table. Big giant sandwiches. After all, we are in America and The Big Apple. And if there is anyone who has made himself comfortable at the table during this election campaign, it is the influencers. Several have pointed out that they could become decisive for the outcome of the election, shows a report from Pew. Photo: Nora Savosnick / news One of them is food influencer Jeremy Jacobowitz. He supports Kamala Harris and was given exclusive access to the Democrats’ national convention this summer. There he had people compare the candidates to a dish. The food court Harris looks most enticing. Jeremy Jacobowitz asked Democrats at the Democratic National Convention which dish they would describe Donald Trump or Kamala Harris as. The video was posted on Instagram. – I hope I can help Harris reach out with his message to my followers, says Jacobowitz, who has well over half a million followers on Instagram. At the lunch restaurant in Williamsburg in New York, he works alone filming and commenting on his latest post. Photo: Nora Savosnick / news The man who previously worked with something in the media knows why he works on Instagram. – I manage to convey a message quickly and catchily. In addition, I’m really good at cutting, he laughs. The battle for votes What can decide the election this year is who wins the battle for Isa’s young, black vote. The parties know that – and Alexis. She works around the clock to reach out to new voters. Photo: Nora Savosnick / news – I have to admit that I’m a little disappointed with older Republicans who don’t use the internet as actively as they should. Trump, on the other hand, he has realized that, she says. Many Republicans are probably a little envious of the Democrats’ wallets. For just the first week of October, they spent 3.5 million dollars on advertising on various social media. While Trump and the Republicans “only” spent a little under $1 million. – The Democrats have really used the internet to their advantage in this election campaign. I think they are skilled at using trends to reach young voters, while we are often too formal, she says. In the last three months, the two campaigns have together spent over $40 million on social media, with Harris spending four times as much as Trump’s campaign. Opinions of their own Where teacher Quinn is concerned about the possible dangers of misinformation on the internet, Alexis and Jeremy only see opportunities. Photo: Nora Savosnick / news Isa and the other students hope that the country’s political leaders can make everyday life in southwest Philadelphia a little better. His big dream is to work as a game developer. – I want to work for Riot Games in California, but first I want to apply for a scholarship to enter New York University, then move to California. What do you think your mother says about you moving out? – She will probably think it’s a bit sad that I’m moving, but she will always support me. Photo: Nora Savosnick / news Soon Isa has made a choice that many are trying to influence, and are excited about what will happen.
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Swipe right for Isa’s voice – Urix
