How Exactly Do You Motivate Younger Voters in 2024?
Ballot Millennials and their younger Gen Z siblings (Plurals) will be a majority of the electorate in just six years. Media outlets, democratic institutions and campaigns will need to pivot quick.
Gabriela Hernandez | a CLMI Learn4Life Fellow
Voting is fundamental, and one of the many ways people can take part in, contribute to and strengthen a democracy. It also has a great effect on young people, an important way to show them how their voices can be heard and have a big impact. In the future, ballot Millennials and some of their younger Gen Z siblings (Plurals) will be a majority of the electorate in just six years.
Younger voters are also tilting the electoral playing field by voting strongly toward Democrats and making it very likely that the “over/under” line in American politics will be 45 - if not 50 - for at least the rest of this decade. In 2022 many young people who voted tilted elections in Democrats’ favor, helping them to win most battleground statewide contests and increase their majority in the U.S. Senate.
Another big concern for the Republican Party was the Democratic Party’s advantage during the 2022 midterm election, which was particularly strong among African Americans and Hispanic voters under the age of 45. An analysis from the National Election Poll Survey found that (87 percent) Black and (67 percent) Hispanic youth gave Democrats stronger support than White youth (57 percent). Many young voters overwhelmingly supported the Democratic Party’s positions on issues like abortion and inclusion that Republicans have traditionally opposed. To the extent that a gender gap still exists, it is centered among older White and Hispanic voters. As Plural and Millennial voters become a larger and larger part of the American electorate, the gender gap in American politics is likely to shrink fast. There was a Democratic advantage among Plural and Millennial voters spread to all racial and ethnic groups, but with a minimal gender gap.
As we know young people are the most diverse generation in American history, and they bring that diversity into their civic and political engagement. It also reflects on how they take positions on issues, also often reflected in their vote choice, with stark differences in support for Democrats or Republicans by different groups of young people. With more young people voting towards Democrats, this brings a big challenge to Republicans as they rely on Broadcast media such as Fox News And talk radio to spread their message but Plurals and Millennials live in an entirely different information ecosystem, built around social media, especially TikTok and YouTube.
What’s the Recipe?
Race and gender are something to consider when finding ways to persuade young voters to vote in the 2024 election. Many young voters overwhelmingly supported the Democratic Party’s positions on reproductive rights and diversity, along with concerns over climate crisis, that Republicans continue to oppose. This continues posing a challenge for the GOP as younger voters now are looking for major protections and pivots on those issues, as well as how they can benefit from a particular candidate’s position. Younger people have also looked for a candidate who is more “woke” as Republicans are more conservative and traditional. The views younger people aggregate on various issues also relates to where and who they receive their information from. There is a difference between all Generations when receiving information. In a study conducted by the Media Insight Project, a collaboration between The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the American Press Institute, an estimated 71 percent of voters/potential voters between the ages of 16-40 pull news primarily from social media. The social media diet is becoming more varied; Facebook doesn’t dominate the way it used to. About a third or more get news each day from YouTube and Instagram, and about a quarter or more from TikTok, Snapchat, and Twitter. Another study from Statista shows the frequency of using social media as a source of news in the United States as of August 2022 by generation.
As we know, there is an abundance of misinformation and deliberate disinformation that circulates on the Internet. This influences the younger generation's vote. If 50 percent of Generation Z and 45 percent of Millennials are pulling their news information from social media, they more than likely don’t possess an accurate grasp or knowledge of politics and are probably being misled. Reaching younger voters requires using social media as pearls (while millennials prefer to use digital media to get news) while being trusted as much more than just a new source.
News That Doesn’t Look Like The News
Still: a society in search of full democratic stability can still use social media to its advantage. Technology is a central part to everyone's day-to-day life. As a result, the news marketplace, in partnership with truly functional and democratic institutions, must look for more aggressive ways to transform social media into an informative news platform. That sounds much easier than it is when considering ownership of those platforms.
The key is to make sure that when creating profiles and social media accounts to deploy an approach that can maintain journalistic and responsible informational standards built around a younger generation’s paradigm. Or, more simply: It’s news, but it doesn’t always look like the news. Present this as relatable as possible: talk show and podcast formats resonate, for example. This sense of realness will persuade young people to listen, watch and engage.
We can still make these platforms informative by using apps and in ways where young people will be attracted to the information process. Help youth follow news stories about issues that matter to young people in their community and seek out publications that prioritize speaking to young people as sources. Support young people in the exploration of civic engagement. Invite teens and youth to join you in civic activities and help them understand how their interests can connect to issues and opportunities for action in their communities. When making opportunities more accessible, youth feel welcome and encouraged to take part. When creating relatable content that's informative they can put their headphones on and listen to a podcast about daily news on their way to class or watch a video when scrolling on TikTok. This is a great way to educate and attract millennials and Generation Z on their civic responsibilities. Candidates must run campaigns that focus on voters under 45. If campaigns refuse to see the importance of the youth vote, they should consider their chance at victory in 2024 already a lost cause.