By Eleanor Shaw, contributor
CHICAGO — In November, many Gen Zers will vote in their first presidential election — something Democrats and Republicans are paying close attention to.
Last month in Milwaukee, former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy used his stage time at the Republican National Convention to deliver his “message to Gen Z,” encouraging listeners to not only vote for Republican nominee Donald Trump but become more politically engaged.
“You’re going to be the generation that saves this country,” Ramaswamy said. “You wanna be a hippie? You wanna be a rebel? You wanna stick it to the man? Show up on your college campus and try calling yourself a conservative.”
This week in Chicago, vice presidential nominee Tim Walz delivered a similar speech to the Youth Council during the Democratic National Convention — as he promoted Kamala Harris’s bid for president.
“[This election] is gonna be close … but it’s going to be won by your demographic,” he said. “You’ve got all the energy … sleep when you’re dead, not now.”
Enthusiasm wasn’t limited to the lectern. Young voters — conservative and liberal — walked through each convention wearing their party’s merch, such as MAGA hats at the RNC and Brat Summer-inspired pins and bracelets at the DNC. Both parties’ efforts to reach young voters this year included featuring social media influencers whose audiences skew younger.
A common thread among these young voters is that they relate more closely to their respective candidates. Kaylee Werner, a 20-year-old Pennsylvania delegate, said she sees herself in Harris more than she did with Joe Biden and feels represented by her campaign.
In Milwaukee, young conservatives offered similar sentiments about Trump.
“He knows what we want, and especially in this election, more younger people are supporting him because of the terrible policies Joe Biden has done,” Daren Struyksma said.
How are young voters choosing their candidate?
Gen Z voters at the DNC emphasized four main issues: climate change, abortion access, education costs and LGBTQ+ rights.
“I have four sisters, I have a lot of women in my life, and they need to be protected,” said Adam Lacasse, a 24-year-old Democratic delegate from Michigan. “I’m a part of [the LGBTQ+] community and I want to make sure that I can live my life and love who I love and do it openly.”
Much like Lacasse, Werner said she believes the Democratic ticket favors compassion while the Trump ticket doesn’t.
“For me, voting for the Democratic ticket is voting for values and beliefs,” Werner said. “Uplifting others, standing with others, and making sure everybody has equal opportunities in life to thrive.”
On the other side of the aisle, Emma Tunnell said Gen Z has the chance to “not look stupid” in front of older generations this November. The 18-year-old Liberty University student said she’s voting for Trump to uphold her conservative and Christian values.
“I feel like people my age, we need to step up as conservative people,” Tunnell said. “My generation is very smart, and … there are a lot of people who could make a breakthrough.”
Alabama Republican National Convention delegate Alex Reynolds, who is 27, said he supports Trump because he prefers the Republican nominee’s handling of economic issues.
“[Young voters] need to pay attention to the price of groceries and gas and pay attention to the price that it is to buy a home, pay rent, pay the bills,” Reynolds said. “Inflation is crippling all of America, regardless of what side of the aisle that you’re on.”
To achieve a more balanced economy, Reynolds said he expects another Trump term in the White House would result in greater investment in American companies and would “put America first.”
Why the emphasis on grassroots efforts?
Excitement among young political activists doesn’t always translate into lots of votes from the rest of their generation.
Virginia, for instance, has one of the lowest young voter turnout rates, according to a poll from the Center for Information & Research on Civic Engagement. In March, the center estimated that only 3% of 17- to 29-year-olds voted during the Republican presidential primary. That turnout is the second lowest among states, ahead of only Iowa (2%).
With Harris now the Democratic front-runner, most of the data about younger generations’ interest in the presidential race is outdated.
Polls like the national survey that the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School conducted in April focused on Biden versus Trump. And Americans younger than 30 basically responded with an eye roll. About 53% of those young people said they planned to vote in November’s presidential election
Currently, Harris leads Trump in Virginia with a wider margin than Biden’s lead during the final few days of his campaign. Most recently, Roanoke College estimates Harris leads Trump in the commonwealth 47% to 44% as compared to Biden’s one-point lead over Trump.
How do groups convince young voters to not ‘give up’?
Nonpartisan organizations have noticed the low youth engagement and are seeking to harness the national conventions to counter that.
During the Republican National Convention, the University of Chicago Institute of Politics hosted its first of two nonpartisan workshops, led by former U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp. Youth VoteFest’s goal was to provide young voters with toolkits for navigating through polarized elections and inspiring their generation to vote.
“We’re at a low ebb for youth engagement because they’re not inspired by our politics and they don’t believe things can change,” Heitkamp said. “But my argument is: The last thing you should do is give up.”
The second Youth VoteFest workshop wasn’t the only event aimed at young voters during this week’s Democratic National Convention. Progressive Victory, a Democratic activist group that educates young voters on elections and civic participation, had a presence at this week’s Youth Council.
Sterling Raiklen, who works as Progressive Victory’s Nevada deputy state director, came to Chicago this week to gain a better understanding of what motivates people to vote.
“I knock on doors, it’s a part of my gig,” he said.
What Raiklen finds, he said, is that poor communication is a giant barrier.
“They don’t know where the polling place is, they don’t even know there’s an election going on,” Raiklen said. “We want to engage with the people that are in these spaces [such as the DNC].”
Last month, Raiklen said he volunteered for the NAACP National Convention in Las Vegas. The organization plans on hosting a “massive” voter registration drive and voter education forum in Milwaukee during the first week of October.
Raiklen advised young voters to look at what the candidate represents and what that means to them — a tip that activists at both parties’ conventions agreed on.
“It’s about the policies,” said Reynolds, the Alabama Republican. “You look at either side, Republicans, Democrats. What are their policies? What do they stand on?”
Another tip that Raiklen shared was for those who wanted to get involved to start at a local level, a suggestion that other attendees at the Democratic Youth Forum reinforced.
“Never be afraid to just take a little step out of your comfort zone,” said Lacasse, the Michigan Democrat, “and ask ‘how can I get involved?’ There is a place for everybody in this.”
Editor’s note: This coverage is being produced as part of a partnership between JMU’s School of Media Arts and Design and the Virginia Association of Broadcasters. A team of JMU students has been reporting from last month’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee and this week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
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