On a December morning in 2012, several high school students were eating at a diner in Kissimmee before their band concert. Suddenly, silence fell across the restaurant and all eyes turned to the television streaming a horrific event: the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Among the group was 15-year-old Maxwell Frost, whose meal and care-free laughter came to a full stop, mirroring the abrupt halt of the entire nation.
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After attending the memorial in D.C. for the 20 children and 6 adults who lost their lives, Frost knew he had to do something to help create change.
Ten years later, after a decade of political activism, involvement, and volunteering, he was the first member of Generation Z to be elected to Congress.
“I was always interested in politics,” said Rep. Frost, D-Orlando, in an interview, taking a deep breath. “But it was that moment that really changed my life, and that’s why I ended up deciding to get involved in politics and organize.”
The same can be said for a lot of young people who have grown up in a harsh political landscape that directly impacts their lives and those around them.
“Every day, we see the trauma, we see the things happening on the other side of the world and we see the things going on around the other side of our block,” said Frost. “Because of this, we are a super hyper-aware generation. And I also think we’re a very passionate generation.”
Frost, through his unique dedication to activism and political involvement from a young age, stands apart in his representation of a generation that has not always turned out as reliably as many politicians have hoped.
But that may be changing.
The Spring 2024 Harvard Youth Poll, conducted in March by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School, found approximately 53% of Americans ages 18-29 indicated they would “definitely be voting” in the upcoming presidential election.
The reasoning and implications behind this go much deeper than the initial numbers imply.
Anil Cacodcar is a junior at Harvard studying regenerative biology and economics who serves as the student chair of the Harvard Youth Poll project. He explained in an interview the premise on which the poll started and the aims of its findings.
“Having this sort of data, and to the extent that we have it, is very helpful in informing political decisions. Not just about policy prescriptions, but what young people are caring about and what motivates them to vote in the first place,” said Cacodar. “Using our findings, we can paint a more complete picture of our generation.”
Why is youth turnout lower than other age groups?
While this year’s indicated youth turnout is the second highest reported in a Harvard poll, it is still significantly lower than the generation’s older counterparts.
Dr. Aubrey Jewett is a professor at the University of Central Florida who has been working with college-aged students in the political science department for 30 years and is familiar with the political leanings and voter turnout trends of the 18-29 age group.
“Historically, younger people are just not as invested in politics, they’re less likely to register and less likely to vote,” said Jewett in an interview. “Having said that over 50% said that they were going to participate.”
Turnout numbers have been relatively higher in recent years. A study by the Center for Information on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) found the 2020 election broke the record for younger voter turnout in the history of a general election. This trend continued as 2022 was the second-highest young voter turnout in a midterm election, second only to 2018.
“We are the demographic that votes the least out of all of the current demographics. But that’s been changing,” Frost said. “Gen-Z has had the highest youth voter turnout in the history of our country and only [two-thirds] of our generation is old enough to vote.”
Jewett said there are ways to improve this number even more. Potential methods include increasing civic education, catering to the interests of younger people, and increasing voter accessibility.
The findings of another study by CIRCLE following the midterm election in 2022 found that some of the states with the lowest youth voter turnout were Tennessee (13%), Alabama (15%) and Oklahoma (15%). These states are known for their lack of facilitative voting and registration policies, including the absence of online voter registration, strict photo ID requirements, and no opportunities for early, in-person voting.
Another issue that often affects the turnout of this age group is the finding that “the youngest members of the electorate are more likely to be ignored by political campaigns,” according to researchers.
Jewett says the problem lies in the tendency of politicians to typically cater to the populations they know will turn out to vote. To receive more attention from candidates, younger voters must demonstrate higher levels of preliminary engagement, according to Jewett.
There are already several ways young voters can become involved prior to the election.
An example would be politically focused, student-run organizations on college campuses. At the University of Central Florida, the two prominent ones are the UCF College Democrats and UCF College Republicans.
“If we come united, and show that we’re here, and we continue to vote, I believe that there will be change,” said Laurel Richmond, the president of UCF College Democrats and a junior studying political science. “But we have to show that we are passionate about this, and we want to see a difference.”
Mary Connolly, the president of UCF College Republicans, said something similar and added that politicians could implement different methods to reach younger voters, including using social media platforms, doing outreach events at college campuses, and mentioning younger voters when giving speeches.
“Politicians could definitely make more of an effort to reach younger voters,” said Connolly, a sophomore majoring in biomedical sciences. “But it’s also important to make an effort to reach out to our peers and help educate them on issues and get them more interested in politics.”
According to an article by NPR, Generation Z is distinctively different when it comes to how it aims to connect with politics and consume news.
NPR reported that 36% of people in this age group said they would turn to the Internet to obtain information before an election, with 12% specifically mentioning social media. This demonstrates younger voters’ desire to be reached on a medium that is relevant to them.
“We don’t always get a lot of political leaders who are able to do that in a good way,” said Frost. “But I think this year, we have an opportunity to do better than 2020 and actually beat that youth voter turnout.”
[RESULTS 2024: Want to vote in Florida? Here’s how to register and make sure you are eligible]
What issues are most important to young voters?
Frost additionally shared what issues he has found are most important to voters in his experience in reaching younger populations.
“If you ask young people what issue they care about, they’re not going to give you one, they’re going to give you six or seven,” said Frost. “They’re going to give you multiple things that are on their mind. And because we view the issues that way, we see how they all interact with each other.”
Dr. Jim Clark, a political analyst and professor of history at the University of Central Florida, said the issues that are most important to younger voters are the same as the ones held most important by Americans as a whole, contrary to popular belief.
“We assume that different groups vote certain ways, but generally speaking, younger voters reflect national trends,” said Clark. “They generally reflect what all Americans reflect.”
The portion of the Harvard study that focused on individual issues affirmed this notion, with inflation, health care, and housing claiming the top spots for what young Americans consider to be the most prominent problems in society.
A survey conducted by Pew Research Center in May 2024, revealed that inflation, health care, and the cooperation of the political parties were comparatively the most important issues to Americans overall.
When it comes to what they are looking for in a political candidate, this reflection trend remains the same. Research shows the priorities and preferences of younger voters are aligned with the majority of Americans when it comes to how they decide who to support.
Jewett said in his research and personal experience in working with college-aged students, he has found the most influential factors to be party affiliation, policy stances, and personal characteristics. He stated this remains true for every other age group across the board.
[TELL US: What issues matter to you and will inform your vote in 2024?]
What is the potential impact of the youth vote?
A study conducted by the University of Berkeley found that, on paper, younger voters have the numbers to determine the outcome of the upcoming election in November.
Research released in June by the Berkeley Institute for Young Americans showed young voters had a broad, decisive impact on the 2020 presidential election, as well as the congressional elections in 2018 and 2022, which were previously noted for breaking the record on turnout among this age group.
This circles back to the understanding that politicians, historians, political scientists, and even a number of young Americans share; if young voters show up to the polls, they can have an altering influence on the course of the election.
“Young voters can have a tremendous impact,” said Dr. Clark. “If they turn out, they can decide the fate of the election.”
The same study found that even though young voters “are emerging as the demographic center of power in American politics,” their trust in societal institutions and government has decreased in recent years and serves as a potential deterrent to voting, as also reported in the Harvard Youth Poll.
However, a recent jump in voter registration numbers may indicate a critical change.
USA Today reported that in the first 48 hours following President Biden’s announcement on July 21 that he would not pursue reelection and Vice President Harris would be running in his place, Vote.org found more than 38,500 people registered to vote.
Just days later, that figure surpassed 100,000 registrations.
According to the platform, 85% of the new registered voters are under 35 and 18-year-old voters alone make up 18%.
This is in addition to the nearly 30,000 that registered to vote on the platform the week prior, following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump and the announcement of his choice of running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio.
These numbers suggest young people may be starting to tune into the presidential race and realizing the effect their involvement could have.
“It can help decide the election on all levels. And every one of our votes matters,” said Frost resolutely. “That’s what helps make the change.”
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