Gen Z is no stranger to criticism for lacking basic skills. Now, they’re being blamed for slowing down the election count because they couldn’t even sign their own names.
More than 13,000 mail-in ballots had been rejected across Nevada because people’s signatures did not match those recorded on the voters’ driving licenses—many of them were Gen Zers who came of age during the pandemic and become accustomed to typing instead of writing in cursive.
Nevada’s Secretary of State, Francisco Aguilar, told the New York Times in a live blog that “Gen Z voters who struggle with cursive could slow the vote count.”
“It’s mostly the fact that young people don’t have signatures these days,” Aguilar added, according to multiple outlets. “And when they did register to vote through the automatic voter registration process, they signed a digital pad at the DMV, and that became their license signature.”
On the eve of Election Day, more than 11,300 mail-in ballots needed signatures cured in Clark County, and more than 1,800 needed fixing in Washoe County—and as the state continues to process mail ballots this week, those figures are expected to rise.
The number of ballots declined in Nevada is far more than in previous election cycles, the Secretary of State said, while adding those rejected have until Nov. 12 to verify their ballot paper in order for it to be counted.
Many schools across the U.S. have stopped teaching students cursive handwriting amid the rise of technology. Only 24 out of 50 states require it to be taught in schools.
Aguilar worries it could impact the outcome of elections.
“When you look at the data, and you start to realize how high it is, it makes you nervous because again, these races are so close, the margins are so slim, that I don’t want to look at the numbers tonight and know that we have to wait for ballots to be cured,” he added. “We need to ensure that every voter’s voice is heard.”
Beyond Gen Z, Aguilar said in a follow-up press release that the signature issue can also crop up among “older voters who may sign their names differently throughout the course of their lives” and “voters who have recently gotten married but haven’t updated their name on their voter registration.”
It’s not just signatures Gen Z need to worry about
In and out of lockdown and COVID-19 regulations, students missed out on much more than just the famed student life—or practicing their signatures.
Vital lessons about the working world were lost while graduates missed out on presenting to their class or taking on work experience and instead were consigned to learning on Zoom.
Now, employers are complaining their new hires don’t how to interact with coworkers or clients, haven’t got the skills to work with people who have different opinions, and aren’t clued up on basic office etiquette like what to wear and not to swear.
Indeed, Gen Z isn’t completely unaware of their shortcomings: In fact, data compiled exclusively for Fortune by Harris Poll shows that 65% of Gen Z workers admitted that they don’t know what to talk about with their coworkers. This is heightened for young staff who entered the workforce post-pandemic; the COVID-era cohort is more than twice as likely to struggle with plucking up a conversation with colleagues than those who worked before the pandemic.
However, young people who don’t get up to speed soon risk losing their jobs. Although some workplaces are stepping up to plug the gap—in the form of etiquette classes and soft skills training, including lessons on how to speak up in meetings—others are giving their young staff just months to prove themselves or face firing.
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