Adam Calder
Many young Americans will cast their ballots in a presidential election for the first time this year. I’m one of them. If you thought that Gen Z was an unserious bunch focused on who is “brat”, who is a “Midwest Princess,” and who hates cats or loves couches, you would probably be right. But, we can also be a serious voting force. In a close race–as this one is–any group can make the difference. I’d like to posit that this year we, Gen Z, will be that group.
Gen Z has grown in demographic strength as its members have gotten older. According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning at Tufts University, a whopping 72% of Gen Z Americans are either “extremely” or “fairly” likely to vote in the 2024 election. And when we do vote, we’ll have the power to shift the outcome.
41 million. That’s how many Gen Zers will be eligible to vote next month. And the 72% figure will not surprise people who have been paying attention. Our generation has been politically engaged for a long time. Even before we could legally vote, we were involved.
As teenagers, many of us were ready to take our political capital into our own hands. We spoke out online as the first generation raised with social media. Some of us took to the streets, whether it was in the “March for Life” or the “March for Our Lives.” I was a poll worker in the 2020 election despite not being old enough to cast a ballot myself. Political involvement is nothing new to Gen Z. That’s why so many have joined BridgeUSA over the last four years. If I can briefly speak for 41 million people, we’re ready to show up.
To be clear, we won’t all vote the same way. The Tufts University poll shows that 51% of Gen Z voters will pull the lever for the Democratic ticket three weeks from now, compared to 30% who will likely vote for former President Trump. While they may be inclined to vote for a more liberal candidate, as a whole, Gen Z is a distinctly independent group, with party affiliation and self-identification falling substantially.
According to Arizona State University’s School of Public Affairs, “independent registrations” account for 49% of Gen Z voters. And that largely supports the makeup of BridgeUSA’s members who often don’t align directly with one side. So while the stereotype may prove true in practice, at least for this election, Gen Z voters are screaming to the national campaigns and party committees that they are not a monolith, and need to be convinced.
No matter who wins next month, one thing is clear: In this election and from now on, the members of Gen Z will have real political power. Because there is power in numbers and while we are fiercely independent and not beholden to any candidate or party, we are committed to playing our part. Yes, along the way, we will deal in memes and pop culture references, both niche and nonsensical. But we will also deal in votes. I’m excited to vote on November 5th. I would venture to say that many millions of my fellow Gen Zers (and members of BridgeUSA) are as well.
