Both candidates have spent millions of dollars and thousands of hours trying to get young people to the polls, with varying degrees of success.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In the 2024 election, much attention has been paid to the potential impact of the “youth vote.” Both major candidates have taken various approaches to connecting with Gen Z and millennial voters, hoping to motivate them to go to the polls.
Tufts University estimates that 42% of voters ages 18 to 29 cast ballots this year, down from 50% turnout in 2020. However, youth turnout remained strong in states keys to the battlefield, with Tufts estimating it to be closer to 50%. Many of these young voters voted for Donald Trump.
Emily Stack, president of the Young Republicans of North Carolina, said the trend is not surprising.
“There are young people coming out of college, they can’t find jobs and they can’t afford housing,” Stack said. “So they were motivated to go to the polls and make a difference.”
As North Carolina has shifted toward Trump, the Republican Party has failed in several statewide elections, including those for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general, all of which were won by the Democrats. Stack said this result was expected.
“Honestly, a lot of these races that we predicted would go the way they did,” she said. “I think Mark Robinson probably hurt the first two races, attorney general and lieutenant governor.”
On the Democratic side, Charles Deloach of the Mecklenburg County Democrats said Vice President Kamala Harris ran a strong campaign, but the odds were stacked against her, especially among younger voters.
“The one thing I think people can’t ignore is the global trend of reacting against the incumbent parties in the United States,” Deloach said. “I think we’re seeing a lot of backlash against global inflation and the inability to separate administration from what people feel at the grocery store, at a restaurant or when they pay rent.”
One of the key strategies Trump used to engage young voters was appearing on popular podcasts hosted by the likes of Theo Von and Joe Rogan. Some criticized Harris for not following suit, but Deloach doesn’t think it would have changed the outcome.
“Do I think Kamala Harris should have gone after Joe Rogan? » said Deloach. “Probably. Do I think it would have changed the results? Probably not.
Since the election results were announced, many internet users have expressed concern about the impact a second Trump term could have on women. But Stack said those concerns may be overblown.
“When we looked at the statistics for female voters, young voters and men, we found that a significant percentage of women voted conservatively,” she said. “I think a lot of it has to do with concerns about their careers. Reproductive rights ended up ranking as the sixth priority for the average person who turned out to vote, including women.
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