With the 2024 presidential election approaching, the youth vote is under the microscope. This demographic—defined as voters aged 18 to 29—has historically been a force of change, and the current group of voters under 30 is no different. Younger voters list climate change, reproductive rights, and the conflict between Israel and Palestine as driving issues for them. This past year has seen a groundswell of young progressive people becoming politically active on their campuses and in their communities. While many of these young progressives are engaged in traditional get-out-the-vote efforts, in recent years, a growing number have begun to question the utility of voting as a means of political engagement and have lost confidence in traditional institutions. In a de facto two-party system in which tangible change seems elusive, many progressive voters under 30 have begun to view the voting process through a lens of skepticism. As the election looms, young progressive voters are concerned with holding Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party accountable for the issues important to them. Ultimately, while young voters on the left are interested in the same goals—equity and progress—as older Democratic voters, they are taking different avenues to reach them. While some young people on the left no longer see voting as imperative and are opting out of the traditional political process, others see it as a one facet of a multipronged strategy for change.
Whether young progressives are cynical about the traditional voting process or not, it’s crucial that Democrats take their concerns seriously. Gen Z and millennial voters will soon comprise the majority of the electorate, significantly shaping the political landscape and influencing the outcome of future elections. The demographic under 30 trends to the left, as do its older millennial counterparts.
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Pro-abortion-rights demonstrators rally in Scottsdale, Arizona, on April 15, 2024.
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The 2020 election saw about 50 percent of eligible voters between the ages of 18 and 29 cast their ballots—an increase from 2016, but still relatively less than other age groups. Young voters cite a myriad of reasons for their disillusionment with voting, including a general distrust of the political system and frustration with the two-party system. A recent poll by Axios found that 60 percent of voters ages 18 to 29 preferred Harris in this year’s election, versus 40 percent who said they would vote for Trump. While those numbers indicate good news for the Democratic Party, young voters’ support should not be taken for granted.
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Nasirah Fair, 23, a youth educator and organizer, says she plans to vote this year, but only for socialist candidates. “I do not believe in a two-party system, and am not registered in the Democratic nor Republican party. … I plan to vote socialist this year. I don’t really believe that a socialist candidate will win this year—but I would like to help build the strength of the party by using my vote.” Fair isn’t alone in her skepticism about the usefulness of voting. “The main reason my friends and I won’t be voting in any federal elections is because I do not believe that any elected officials have earned my vote,” says K.T. Merrick, a disability justice advocate, “and until I can trust that they will support our ethics—trans rights, gay rights, universal healthcare, affordable housing, universal basic income, police abolishment, disability rights, [and the return of land to Indigenous populations]—then I cannot in good faith vote for anybody.”
Despite this growing skepticism about voting, there are still compelling arguments for voting as a crucial tool for effecting change. Historically in the United States, significant progress has been achieved through electoral means, and voting provides a mechanism for holding leaders accountable and pushing for policy changes. To that end, there are young leftists who understand voting to be one important method, along with organizing and advocacy, to make sure they get the policy changes they want.
“I see political parties as vehicles for getting agendas done, for getting laws passed and policies made. Voting is one tool in our toolbox for steering the wheel of that vehicle, and helps us set the foundation for what we need to be organizing on,” says Anthony Vidal Torres, 29, a communications director for Get Free, a youth-led political movement. Destiny Gossett, 23, a recent graduate in Atlanta, feels similarly. “I believe voting is imperative to change being made on all levels of the government. I’ve voted in every presidential and primary election since I’ve turned 18 regardless of my personal feelings, because voting creates change for more than the individual,” says Gossett. Many young voters see this election as a choice about the direction of the nation. “I am planning to vote this November because we are at a crossroads. We can either allow the MAGA faction to cement supremacy, hierarchy, and inequality, or we can unite together and elect someone who we can realistically organize under and pressure to repair the harm to make freedom and equality actually real for all,” says JJ Briscoe, 23, a student living in New York City.
Vice President Harris’s last-minute entry into the race, after President Joe Biden dropped out in July, has rejuvenated young people’s interest in the 2024 election. “I think no matter who is at the top of the ticket, what will most affect young people’s excitement or disappointment with politics right now, specifically in reference to the Democratic Party, would be whether the party is willing to make crystal-clear to young voters that Democrats are serious about creating real equality and standing up to MAGA attacks on our freedoms,” says Briscoe. While there has been a decided vibe shift, it would be unwise to take young voters’ support for granted. “I think people are excited to see a woman of color in leadership, especially one who has openly spoken about restoring reproductive rights, which is one of those key issues on our minds. They are excited to see a leader who is engaged in politics and strategy and willing to do the work needed to fulfill her duty as president. On the other hand, I think people are tired of representational politics and want to know that this is exciting for more than just what it represents,” says Toni Moore, 24.
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Choosing Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota as her running mate has also helped Harris grab the interest of the progressive youth voting block. With Walz’s progressive bona fides on reproductive issues, education policy, and keeping trans kids safe, he has further energized an already excited base of young voters.
Of course, the Left’s concern about the usefulness of voting is not new. In his essay “Notes on the House of Bondage,” written during the 1980 election, James Baldwin said: “But, if we’re to change our children’s lives and help them to liberate themselves from the jails and hovels—the mortal danger—in which our countrymen have placed us, the vote does not appear to be the answer, either.” Countless progressive activists, writers, and thinkers—both young and old—have spilled ink questioning the utility of voting in a de facto two-party system that offers few options and often results in slow-moving progress, if not outright backtracking on fundamental rights.
Today’s young progressive voter is equally concerned about both the tangible outcomes of a vote and the moral merits of the act of voting. “Ultimately, Black people fought long and hard for voting rights—however, our most prominent Civil Rights leaders opposed war and genocide,” says Fair. “My question becomes: Why would I vote for someone who I fundamentally disagree with? Is that authentic to my values as an organizer? And am I willing to compromise my values in order to vote for someone whose actions I find morally reprehensible?”
The youth vote will shape the future of American politics. “We, as voters, and as young people, are the protagonists of this election. Pundits want to make this about whoever’s at the top of the ticket, but actually, we are the ones who are going to decide what happens in 2024—whether we allow this MAGA faction to bring us back to the 1800s and lock in inequality; or we give ourselves the opportunity to put in place leaders and to push Democrats to be serious about making equality real,” says Torres.
While the trend of divesting from voting among young leftists represents a significant challenge, it also presents an opportunity to address their concerns and reimagine what it means to be politically engaged. Ultimately, it is up to young people to make their own decisions about voting and participation in the political system. It would be wise for elected officials to meet young voters where they are.
