KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As the 2024 election approaches, Gen Z’s role in shaping the political landscape is becoming more important.
Debra Reiter is an associate professor of political science at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
On the influence of social media, she shared how political leaders, parties and movements are targeting young voters through social media platforms like Tik Tok.
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Vice President Kamala Harris joined Tik Tok on Thursday as the presidential campaign got underway, and former President Donald Trump also joined earlier this summer.
Reiter said that while young people tend to vote at lower rates than older voters, Gen X voters turn out to be at higher rates than any other young voter.
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Debra Reiter – Associate Professor of Political Science, UMKC
“In fact, Gen Z voter turnout in 2020 was about 48%, which is one of the highest turnout rates in a national election in the United States,” Reiter said. “In Kansas and Missouri, young voter turnout in 2020 was about 45% and 46%. And we think the 2024 election is going to be close. All signs point to this election being close. And certainly every vote counts, and young voters made the difference in a lot of close elections in 2020, so we expect it to be similar in 2024.”
She said there are many factors and issues that Gen Z focuses on, including the age of the candidate.
“Students, in general, are very anxious about the upcoming election. Before Joe Biden announced he was stepping down, many students were frustrated by the vast difference in age between the candidates, who are 19 and 20 years old,” Reiter said. “Before Harris became the presumptive nominee, with the two oldest candidates ever running, many students felt like there was a big gap, not just in terms of age, but also in terms of priorities and what is important to them.”
Reiter said two very different, yet in many ways very important, visions for the American political system have emerged, and Gen Z will play a role in shaping its future.
“Gen Z has a lot to vote on in the short period they’re eligible to vote – the 2020 COVID election and then 2024, which is their chance to set the direction of the Republican and Democratic parties,” Reiter said. “Gen Z cares a lot about the future and they’re concerned about future issues like environmental issues, economic opportunity issues, whether they’ll be able to get a good job in the future, whether they’ll be able to afford a home. These are topics that come up pretty frequently for Gen Z.”
She said some of her conversations with students include what’s at stake in this election and how they can have an impact not only at the national level but also at the local level.
“While the top of the ballot certainly matters, these local, state and congressional elections have a profound impact on politics, especially day-to-day politics. I think it’s important when you’re having these conversations with students to understand how local affects national, national affects international, and international affects local,” Reiter said. “Politics is everywhere, modifying everything we do every day. If you have young voters who love sports, talk to them about stadium decisions or how political decisions affect whether the Royals or the Chiefs stay in Missouri or move to Kansas or somewhere else. Talk to them about the environmental or economic decisions that they care about and how that affects the local level. Potholes are all political because all of these things are decided at the local level, like how roads are fixed and how they’re funded. So when you’re having these conversations with young voters, it’s important to talk about how politics affects the things that are important to them, because it does.”
She strongly encourages young voters to get involved in politics and volunteer.
“Volunteering for campaigns for top candidates on the ballot is a great thing and a great way to encourage voting,” Reiter says. “You can volunteer as a ‘get out the vote’ person, but one of the best ways young people can help make a big difference is by volunteering in local races like city council or state legislature.”
She says these efforts not only earn her recognition for volunteering in local elections, but can also make a big difference in shaping politics in her community.
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