Democrats, Don't Take Gen Z Votes For Granted In 2024 — You're Just 'Renting Them'

Millennials and Gen Zers turned out in record numbers to vote in the 2020 midterms, armed with knowledge primarily gained through social media, according to NPR. If the trend continues, Gen Z could become a key factor in the outcome of the presidential election in 2024.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last June was Gen Z’s primary concern and the youngest generation to be able to vote sided heavily with the Democrats, according to the outlet, which cited reports from the education advocacy organization Murmuration, the Walton Family Foundation and public opinion firm SocialSphere.

Gen Z And Party Affiliation

Despite the majority of Gen Z voting for Dems in 2020 (supporting Democrats over Republicans by 27%) only 30% of those surveyed said they affiliate with the party. That's compared to 28% of the generation who said they align with Independents, followed by 24% who said they are Republican.

According to Republican political strategist John Brabender, the numbers give hope to Republicans for the 2024 presidential election. “The Democrats don't own these votes. They're renting them,” he said.

The key for each party in the run-up to the 2024 election, therefore, is to figure out how to reach Gen Z voters.

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Where Gen Z Gets Their Information

Although the generation showed up in historically high numbers to vote in the midterms, about 33% said they would like to have more information about each candidate before casting a vote. That number compares to 21% of Millennials, 11% of members of Generation X and 6% of Baby Boomers, according to NPR.

Among the one-third of Gen Zers who said they’d like to learn more prior to voting, only 12% said they would use social media to access information, compared to 26% who said the internet.

According to the SocialSphere survey data, however, 61% of Gen Zers said they use YouTube to gather information. TikTok was the next most selected news source among Gen Z, with 57% saying they use the platform to learn about politics and current events, followed by Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook.

The way Gen Z consumes its news causes hurdles for candidates and the young generation's voters alike. "A 15-second TikTok or so might give you some glimpse of some of the problems you care about," 20-year-old Alex Ames told NPR, adding, "but isn't going to be quality controlled or as in-depth as a legitimate civics course in your school or a 12-page-long New York Times article."

Ames also noted that when politicians use social media to engage with Gen Z, it can come off as entertainment. “Youth engagement should be actually teaching the young people in our communities how our policies impact the things that touch them,” she said.

How Gen Z Candidates Are Working To Educate Gen Z Voters

25-year-old Anderson Clayton is focused on educating young and rural voters in North Carolina. As the youngest-ever chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party, Clayton believes disengaged and discouraged young and rural voters can help flip the state blue, according to the Washington Post.

Clayton has garnered attention among members of Congress, from fellow Gen Z Rep. Maxwell Frost and Rep. Jeff Jackson (D-NC), who has provided Clayton ideas on how to engage with voters on TikTok. She’s also spoken to Ken McCool, mayor pro tem of Matthews, North Carolina, to exchange ideas on how to get more young people to show up to the polls.

Although North Carolina is considered a purple state, Democrats have lost every presidential and Senate race in the state since 2008 --something Clayton hopes to change-- and she believes the Republican’s attack on people’s rights will push more people to vote Democratic in the next election.

“I’m tired of Republicans coming in and threatening my rights. … We all should be so tired and angry,” Clayton said during a recent member meeting of the Union County Democratic Party, according to the report.

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