Many seniors at Oak Park High School will have the opportunity to vote in November’s Presidential Election. But, according to a Harvard study recorded in Spring 2024, only 53% of Americans between ages 18 and 29 say they are committed to voting in the upcoming election. While that number increased throughout the years the impact young voters have is significant and vital to the future of politics. 

For this age group, voting increased by 11% and the general public started to realize the difference voters under the age of 30 made during the 2020 election. Wlrn Public Media concluded that the increase led to 55% overall votership, the highest turnout rate since the 1972 Presidential election. 

In the 2020 election, support from youth for Trump or Biden mattered. It was found that voters under the age of 30 were in support of Biden 24% more than his opponent. The overwhelming support in 2020 for Biden from young voters helped him win over that age group. When our generation’s youth participated they changed the course of the election.

Wlrn predicted that voters under 30 will yet again be a catalyst for the outcome of the 2024 Presidential debates. But what is different about this generation is that most are voting based on specific issues rather than committing to one political party.

When five out of nine justices—three of which Trump appointed— ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade, GenZ and Millennial voters became motivated to engage with politics. Polls predicted that these generations would vote because of the pressing issue on freedom of healthcare.

Additionally, the wars overseas, the cost of living and climate change have been hot topics with people under the age of 30. 

Pew Research reports that an 85% majority of Democrats or Democrat-affiliated individuals overwhelmingly support free college tuition. Conversely, it is found that Republicans are split on the topic, with only 36% support. When the average cost of tuition is over $27,000 for in-state students and close to $48,000 for out-of-state students, there’s no wonder why youth lean left in this issue.

A common misconception among voting campaigns assumes that the 18-24 age group refuses to participate in politics, so political campaigns overlook the significance of the youth vote. Ironically, this discourages young people from voting. 

In reality, very few youth do not vote because they think it is unimportant. Tisch College reports that many of the young people they interviewed chose not to register for a ballot due to lack of transportation, miscommunication and time constraints. In the 2024 election though, social media is leaving an impact on impressionable minds and the excitement is encouraging youth to push past these boundaries.

The longer we have social media the more influential it becomes in the election campaign process. Videos from @KamalaHQ have started to trend on TikTok. This began when she posted a video using a sound by trending creator Brooke Schofield. The video earned over 2.7 million likes and 21.6 million views. MaketingBrew analyzes the strategy and concludes that it is taking advantage of the way young voters are primarily getting news. The trending audios used in almost every video align with current culture and give this new age a candidate they can better relate to.

Additionally, many prominent creators reposted and commented on Harris’s video. Generally, the creators that supported the video have a younger following. This is predicted to further influence voters between the ages 18-30. 

On the contrary, although social media marketing is getting young people excited, a post on TikTok does not give all the facts. It is vital for youth to vote, but even more important that the next generation becomes informed voters. Looking at all sides and researching what each candidate promises to do for America is the best way to vote for whatever candidate young people want.

It is time to keep disproving the myth that the younger generations do not care about politics. This is each youth’s chance to make their voices heard and change the tides of the election by being a young and informed voter. Every ballot counts.