Five First-Time Shasta County Voters Share What Matters to Them Most

It’s election day in Shasta County and in lock step with the rest of the nation, emotions are running high among many local voters. Most can agree the stakes are dire with this presidential race.

Given all the reasons why a Trump vs. Harris ticket is unprecedented, Shasta Scout wanted to hear from a largely underrepresented block of voters: our newest generation. How do those casting their ballot for the first time feel about participating in Democracy at this moment, and what do they believe is most important? 

We spoke with five first-time voters from a variety of different backgrounds and ages, from 18 to 72 years old, including college students, young professionals, and one newly naturalized citizen well into his retirement. Importantly, we didn’t ask anyone to disclose who they voted for, choosing to focus instead on how they’re approaching their voting decisions. 

Here’s what they had to say. 

Editor’s note: interview responses were curated and edited for clarity. 

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Bradley Early, 18 years old, resident of Redding, student at Shasta County Independent Study School. 

Scout: What are the big issues that are determining your vote in the upcoming election?

Well, there’s a lot of stuff that is currently wrong with the country. But I would say some of the big issues–my main two–are just the state of the country’s economy. I think our economy is very poor right now. 

And as a country, we have a very big divide as people, as individuals. It’s very negative, I don’t know. I feel very strongly about unity with my fellow Americans, and I just think that we could be doing better right now. Hopefully this election can kind of help us with that. 

Scout: What do you think are the most important races? 

I would say the presidential election for sure, is the most important race to me out of the whole election season and process.

Scout: How are you thinking about the local elections? 

As a first-time voter, I’m being urged by my peers to do some research on local propositions, stuff like that, as well as the presidential election. I’m pretty focused on some of the local stuff. 

Scout: Where do you receive information that informs your vote? 

I’ve actually gone to [our representatives’] websites, and looked into their plans, their messages, and what they have in store for our district. I’ve really looked into that. I’ve gone to third-party resources. I’ve actually called some of their offices and stuff. So I’ve done a wide variety of research. 

A lot of young people, or first-time voters, are swayed by their parents. But I’ve always been urged by my parents to do my own research. They never expected me to vote the same as them. I’ve always been urged to vote differently if I feel that I need to do so. 

But I would say [young people] use TikTok and short form content–a lot of YouTube, for sure. In my personal opinion, I don’t think a lot of us really go to any news outlets or sources as much as we should, especially because there could be tons of misinformation, and it’s just kind of messy. But yeah, I would say we get our primary political news from social media and short-form content.

Scout: Are most of your peers going to cast a ballot? 

I’m a little bit older than a lot of my friends and peers. But from what I’ve gathered from people that are the same age as me, they are voting, and they’re excited to vote. They believe that this upcoming election is very important, and a lot of people are ready to contribute. And I think it’s great.

Scout: Are you confident in the election process in Shasta County? 

Yes, I’d say I’m confident in it. They do a very good job here. 

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Isabelle Song, 18 years old, resident of Redding, administrative assistant at Trilogy Architecture.

Scout: What are the big issues that are determining your vote in the upcoming election?

Probably the biggest issue is care for the environment. My number-one thing that I want to vote for is what the future looks like for the environment, places like national parks and all that stuff. 

Scout: What do you think are the most important races? 

The president. 

Scout: How are you thinking about the local elections? 

I see billboards around. I don’t read anything on my own–just being completely honest. I know Corkey Harmon, Joshua Johnson, Erin Resner, Tenessa Audette… but I only know them because of billboards. 

Scout: Where do you receive information that informs your vote? 

My close friends and family are my main source–like my aunts and uncles. 

Scout: Are most of your peers going to cast a ballot? 

No, I just registered last night, actually. It’s inconvenient to go out of your normal routine, even though our lives are so good. This is a little slight tangent, but [they feel] it’s so quote-unquote “inconvenient” to do something that isn’t necessarily instant gratification. But [voting] matters, especially if you have opinions. 

Scout: Are you confident in the election process in Shasta County? 

I’m confident. I’m really optimistic, and I trust a lot of people. 

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Lillian Pellow, 18 years old, resident of Anderson, student at Shasta College. 

Scout: What are the big issues that are determining your vote in the upcoming election?

For me personally–just from social media, as well as my own personal life–the things that are mainly affecting me would obviously be the main presidential debate. But I would say the [issues] that I’m seeing most would be bills regarding schooling and housing taxes.

Other than that, it’s honestly funny how little I know about what I’m voting on. I’ll be completely transparent. Usually, I have my mom explain to me each bill that I’m voting on as we go through them together.

Scout: What do you think are the most important races? 

I would say it’s kind of hard to choose, in a sense, because it all matters in different ways. Obviously, the one that people really focus on and care most about would probably be the president. But I feel like each has their own importance, in their own right. Otherwise, why else would we vote on them? So I feel like they all have equal importance, but differences in publicity. 

Scout: How are you thinking about the local elections? 

I think it’s important to focus on local elections. Of course, it’s not going to be what you’re seeing on social media, it’s something you’re going to have to put a little bit more effort into being involved in. I don’t see it as any less influential or important than the big election. Again, I do think it’s a little harder, especially for people my age, to get involved because there’s not much incentive as it’s not as widely popularized on social media. But I do think it still has its value, and I do find it important.

Scout: Where do you receive information that informs your vote? 

Mainly social media, honestly. The majority of the information I get is from social media, or ads running on the TV. The majority of people my age really don’t feel a need to go further than social media, especially with the amount of information that social media does seem to give my generation. If people are going to watch the news, it’s mainly if it just so happens to be on in the morning. I don’t think the vast majority of my age range willingly watches the news or listens to it on a daily basis.

I personally have a lot of very strong morals and values myself. I need my mom’s help mainly with explaining and dissecting what things mean and how each applies, more so than deciding how I should vote for them. I talk a lot with the people in my life about politics, specifically my family, but I don’t feel any specific need to vote in the same way they do, or agree with the same things they do. 

Scout: Are most of your peers going to cast a ballot? 

I would say so. Most of the people I know are going to vote, especially when it comes to the presidential election. I do know quite a few people who are very hesitant towards it, and I know a lot of my peers really don’t want to vote in person, or anything like that. They prefer the mail ballots. 

People feel like, no matter who they vote for, they can’t make the entire country happy. There’s a lot of pressure on choosing a side. And I know a good chunk of people who don’t really want to deal with the labeling of, you know, voting for one or the other, right?

Scout: Are you confident in the election process in Shasta County? 

It’s kind of a hard question. Believe and trust? Not necessarily, but I would say I put faith in my vote because I have faith in the fact that they’ll do it correctly and won’t mess with it. Do I trust and believe that they won’t? That’s another question. However, I have faith that they won’t.

It’s such a hard situation, because in a perfect world where people are honest and true, the system we have would work. But I feel like there’s too much room for human interference. The people who facilitate the process, I can’t trust. So it’s like, I don’t know how well the process is going to be treated. 

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Joshua Brown, 21 years old, resident of Old Shasta, student at Shasta College. 

Scout: What are the big issues that are determining your vote in the upcoming election?

The one I would consider most important to me would be the economy. The economy, the issue of wealth inequality in particular, the gap between the rich and the poor.

The other issues informing my vote are the war in Gaza. Also, education heavily informs my vote and disability rights, because I’m autistic. And to give you one last one, since I’m young, I would say climate change.

Scout: What do you think are the most important races? 

I’d say right now I’m probably mostly focused on Kamala versus Trump.

Scout: How are you thinking about the local elections? 

I think that I can probably make more of a difference locally. But, you know, I take great interest in the presidential race too. 

Scout: Where do you receive information that informs your vote? 

I talk to people in my life. I try not to rely too much on news from the internet, because it can get kind of, well, radicalizing. It just takes you for quite a wild ride. Because you could post anything on the internet. 

I don’t particularly have a place where I get my news. When I’m watching TV, I’ll look at CNN, as well as Fox News and MSNBC, just kind of see what they’re all saying. When I’m online, I might look at X, (you know, Twitter) or I might look at YouTube. I’m of the opinion that news sources should just present facts. Your opinion shouldn’t be developed based on specifically which source you get your information from. I’m kind of a fairness doctrine kind of guy.

Scout: Are most of your peers going to cast a ballot? 

I don’t have many regular friends my age. Most of my friends are kind of older, actually. But if I know you, it’s very likely that you’re going to vote. 

Scout: Are you confident in the election process in Shasta County? 

I would say that, yes, as long as they follow the law and there’s not any election deniers trying to say they won even though they lost. I have trust.

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Harbans Singh Grewal, 72 years old, resident of Anderson, retired. 

Editor’s note: Harbans was naturalized as a US citizen in September of 2024. This will be the first American election he votes in. His answers were translated from Punjabi by his son Amarjit Singh. 

Scout: What are the big issues that are determining your vote in the upcoming election?

For our youths in the community–not only just the Sikh youths, but in general–there should be some economic stability. Where youths can flourish themselves, and they do not have any kind of high debts from tuition fees. My passion is that it would be great if the American leadership can provide free education to all, even to the higher levels like university.

When I go out in the community, I always feel that people may comment, or, you know, misidentify me [as a Muslim]. Because of the ignorance, the lack of awareness and education–and there is hate in the community. When the general presidential elections happens, people are so divided on politics. The national leadership can play a vital role in that, you know, how they make press releases… and how [the communities] interpret the news coming from the national leadership. 

I’m very focused on immigration as well. I don’t support any kind of illegal immigration. Legal immigration is okay, and there should be some rules, you know, when terrorists also cross the border. So [immigration policy] needs to be scrutinized. That’s my concern. We shouldn’t stop immigration, but it should be legal… So policies should meet the needs of the community worldwide, but there should be, you know, a strict border. And legal immigration must always remain open. 

Editor’s notes: When Harbans refers to “misidentification,” he means the very common occurrences in which Sikhs are subject to Islamophobic hatred when misidentified as Muslims, due to their customary beards and turbans–which are a central tenets of the Sikh faith, but not of Islam. 

People on a terrorist watchlist make up an astronomically small percentage of people encountered by border patrol, though that number has risen in recent years. This percentage peaked in 2023 at 0.0083%. 

Scout: What do you think are the most important races? 

I am [thinking] more about the presidential. 

In the last few days, you know, I was concerned about what some of the news media outlets showed. I think Trump gave some statements, you know, like “the garbage people” in Puerto Rico, you know? So when it’s voting [time], they always go to [voters] to ask for their vote, you know, because they want to be elected, but otherwise they just consider those communities a dump. That was not good. I’m more about the community and recognizing the whole human race as one, because all are created equally by the Almighty. And this is just a political division that separates the people from each other. Communities shouldn’t be divided, and should remain respectful to each other.

Editor’s note: Harbans is referring to the comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who called Puerto Rico an “island of garbage” at a recent Trump rally in Madison Square Garden, among other racist and antisemitic remarks. 

Scout: Why did you decide to become a US citizen so late in your life? 

I have lived most of my life in the Indian continent. I was born and raised in Punjab. I want to be a US citizen, since my permanent home is here now, in this country. 

When I think about the community and the issues of mutual respect, understanding immigration and security, safety, I say, how can I be part of this? I have to be a US citizen to do that. 

Scout: Where do you receive information that informs your vote? 

From family and also the Punjabi newspapers from the Bay Area. Ajit Weekly and Punjab Times give neutral and independent news. 

Scout: Are you confident in the election process in Shasta County? 

No, I haven’t reached that point yet. Because I’m a new citizen, I’ve come to learn everything about the processes… I’m going to go to the precinct and will vote in person.

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