Young Americans took to the streets this summer—now they’re marching to the polls

By: Roger S. Glass

It may be happening. It may finally be happening. We may finally be seeing the surge in youth voting that many Americans, especially progressives, have long hoped—maybe even prayed—for. 

As of Oct. 26, 5.3 million 18-29 year olds had voted early as compared to 1.2 million in 2016, according to CNN. Those numbers include a 300% plus increase among Black and white youth in that age group, and an impressive 460% increase among young Hispanic voters. This swelling in the number of Americans ages 18-29 who have cast early votes this year is nothing short of astounding. 

So what’s behind these crazy figures? What’s driving these young people to the polls?  America’s youth certainly care deeply about access to college and college debt, affordable health care, immigration reform, climate change and other issues.

However, much of this outpouring of young voter is likely the direct result of the Trump Administration’s abysmal handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the downward economic spiral that it has precipitated. Then there’s the racial and social inequalities brought starkly to the world’s attention by Black Lives Matter and the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others, as well as by the disproportionate number of Black and brown Americans who have died from COVID. 

Young people are also flocking to the polls in response to senseless and random gun violence, like that that mobilized the grieving high school students in Parkland, Florida. The threat to end DACA and the impact it would have on the futures of millions of young Latinos has also driven up the turnout of young voters. 

A new Harvard Youth Poll of 18-29 year olds found that 63% of Americans that age group said they will “definitely be voting” in the November election compared to 47% during the same time before the 2016 election.

“Young Americans today find themselves on the frontlines of the ‘triple crises’ of COVID,” Justin Tseng, Chair of the Harvard Public Opinion Project, said in a statement released in September. Citing the pandemic’s effect on education and job prospects and the ongoing “racial reckoning., he added: “Young voters are tuning in and facing our nation’s challenges head first. Don’t be surprised when they turn out at the polls in historic numbers.”

Some of this voting enthusiasm among young people is highest in key battleground states like Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. A poll released by the progressive group NextGen America in August showed that 77% of registered voters aged 18-35 across 13 battleground states said they “definitely” plan to vote.

“Young people were already more fired up to vote in the election than four years ago, or even eight years ago, but we’re reaching into heights never before seen with how motivated and likely these young people are to vote this November,” NextGen America Executive Director Ben Wessel told The Hill newspaper in early September. 

Judging by the number of young voters registered as Democrats as compared to those registered as Republicans, the Biden-Harris ticket and Democrats running for the U.S. Senate and other offices have to feel pretty good. 

A report in the October 28 issue of The Hill newspaper said that more than 4 million people between the ages of 18 and 29 had already cast a ballot in this year’s presidential electio after sitting out 2016. “In states where voters can register by party, registered Democrats among those youngest voters outnumber registered Republicans by a nearly three to one margin,” the newspaper said.

Much of the credit for this impressive turnout of young voters has to go to social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Spotify—and  their concerted effort to help turn out the youth vote. Facebook reported in late September that 2.5 million people had registered to vote through its platforms—Facebook, Instagram and Messenger—with a goal of ultimately registering four million voters. Around the same time, Snapchat announced that it had already registered 400,000 voters.

When protests swept the nation this summer and a multiracial throng of young people took to the streets to call for police reform and social and racial justice, skeptics were rightfully said that the protest would matter little if young people didn’t come out in November and vote for change from the top on down. Well, it looks like those same young people are walking the talk in 2020.