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Veronica Mandella

Professor Andrea Reilly

English 100

March 3, 2020

How Current Social and Political Issues are Resulting in More Gen Z Voters

I am standing among hundreds of people. The many shades of clothing, calls, cheers, and

screams from the voices around me, and the scents of sweat and perfumes permeating the air is

overwhelming my senses. I feel as though the energy around me is coursing through my veins. I

feel alive. I can see me friends by my side protesting with me. I know this is where I am

supposed to be. Then I hear a ding. I look down at my phone and there is a text from my dad

asking me where I am. I reply that I am protesting with my friends in town. I know he wants me

at home doing homework or studying. He believes that politics is not for teenagers and won’t

like that I am participating in this protest. Many adults believe, like in the situation just

described, that teens shouldn’t be participating in debates, protests, and discussion groups on

issues they believe in. While they could be spending more time on activities like schoolwork and

sports, they are participating in social and political activism because issues such as Global

Warming and school shootings are personally affecting this generation of teenagers.

There are many reasons why more young voters are deciding to vote in the 2020 election,

but these social and political issues have spurred the most debate and are the biggest reasons why

the 2020 election is drawing in more and more young voters. Recent Gun Violence in the United

States, for example, is an issue that is causing many teens around the country to participate in
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local and national political activism to bring awareness about the subject. Global Warming is

also a huge issue that has had much awareness brought to it lately, thanks to Greta Thunberg, a

17 year old environmental activist who inspired an international movement to fight climate

change. She has motivated students and adults all around the world that Climate Change is a big

deal, and we need to do something about it.

These issues are not the only ones that are drawing younger voters to the polls this year.

Problems that are less mainstream but equally as important as any other social and political

issues affecting the futures of many young people are also a big reason why the 2020 election is

drawing in more and more young voters. These issues include lowering the cost of college

tuition, women's rights when it comes to restrictive abortion laws, the price of medicines from

big pharmaceutical companies, funding for mental health research and awareness, people being

protected if DACA ( The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) were to end, and many other

vital issues concerning Americans. These are just a portion of the issues that Generation Z and

Millennials are passionate about and fighting for, not only because it has a significant effect on

the country and its teens and young adults, but it also affects their futures.

In this day and age, social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat

have not only influenced the spread of information but allowed a wide array of users to access

information on current social and political issues that are affecting the country and the world

alike. Social media has allowed many people of all age groups, genders, and races to express

their opinions and share their views on social and political issues that are occurring around the

world. These issues include global warming, school shootings, natural disasters, and politics. It

has given especially teens and young adults the opportunity to connect and become more

outspoken on issues they care about. For example, after the school shooting in Parkland, Florida,
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a group of the student survivors founded March For Our Lives. These student activists used

social media to bring awareness after this terrible tragedy about the need for gun control in the

United States. This last year has seen a huge rise in youth activism which shows that changes

need to be made and that Generation Z has taken to shaping our futures for the better.

These platforms have not only encouraged teens to become more progressive and

outspoken on issues they care about but urges more young voters across the nation to discuss

these issues. Even though a majority of Generation Z is not able to vote, social media has

allowed them to connect to many other generations. The result of this is that people of many

different ages are becoming more united on issues that are affecting the country, and American

politics is evolving based on the demands of Generation Z.

Many of the presidential political campaigns are starting to focus on more young voters.

Research is showing that Generation Z and Millennials have the potential to determine the

direction of the vote and that they will make up nearly 40% of voters. Young voters are looking

for someone who is going to make real change, and political campaigns are slowly beginning to

focus on campaigning to more young voters. Research is showing that only about 20% of young

voters voted in the 2014 midterm election. This is not only because campaigns have overlooked

the fact that young voters could sway the vote but that there is not enough effort put in to boost

the voter registration of young people. We are seeing that the 2020 election campaigns are

focusing on seeking more young voters in the hope to win the election.

The effect of more Generation Z and the other younger generations of voters is that the

demands of these young voters will largely influence the 2020 campaign. They have a big chance

of swaying the vote and making a big difference in American politics. In the last four years we
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have seen organizations formed by this younger generation calling for big structural, economic,

and social changes. These organizations such as March For Our Lives, United We Dream, and

the Sunrise Movement are the result of the current administration and how the government has

chosen to handle major issues that are currently affecting us. This influx in young people

becoming more active in political issues affecting the country in these last four years shows that

there is a really big chance that they could sway the vote in this election and the many more to

come. Research shows that voting is habit-forming and that those who begin to vote early are

likely to vote throughout their lives. By having the presidential candidates focus more on gaining

the votes from Generation Z and Millennials in hopes to sway the vote in their favor will

hopefully result in a change in the system and a new way of thinking for politicians and citizens

of the country alike.

Overall, the increase in young voters across the nation will help bring awareness and

hopefully change the current social and political issues in the country. Thanks to these issues, we

can count on more young voters to vote in this year's election than any other election to date.

Hopefully Generation Z will be able motivate enough new voters to make an impact and promote

change that meet the demands of these younger generations.

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Works Cited

Glickman, Opinion by Dan, and Alan Solomont. “Young Voters Are Going to Be Key to
Winning 2020.” CNN, Cable News Network, 2 Jan. 2020,
www.cnn.com/2020/01/02/opinions/young-voters-midterm-elections-solomont-
glickman/index.html.

Ember, Sydney. “Young Voters Could Make a Difference. Will They?” The New York Times,
The New York Times, 2 Nov. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/11/02/us/politics/young-voters-
midterms.html.

Garrison, Joey, and Rebecca Morin. “'I Think They Will Decide the Race': Can Young Voters
Again Push Democrats to Victory in 2020?” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network,
8 Nov. 2019, www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2019/11/04/election-2020-young-
voters-key-democrats-path-beating-trump/2458445001/.

Brown, Gretchen. “Which Issues Do Young Voters Care About Most?” Rewire, 18 Nov. 2019,
www.rewire.org/our-future/issues-young-voters-care-most/.

“Young Voters on the Political Issues They Care about Most.” PBS, Public Broadcasting
Service, 18 Dec. 2019, www.pbs.org/newshour/show/young-voters-on-the-political-issues-they-
care-about-most.

Vladimir E. Medenica, Matthew Fowler. “Analysis | Here Are the Issues That Will Get
Millennials to the Polls in November.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 1 Oct. 2018,
www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2018/10/01/here-are-the-issues-that-will-get-
millennials-to-the-polls-in-november/.

Garrison, Joey, and Rebecca Morin. “'I Think They Will Decide the Race': Can Young Voters
Again Push Democrats to Victory in 2020?” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network,
8 Nov. 2019, www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2019/11/04/election-2020-young-
voters-key-democrats-path-beating-trump/2458445001/.

Ember, Sydney. “Young Voters Could Make a Difference. Will They?” The New York Times,
The New York Times, 2 Nov. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/11/02/us/politics/young-voters-
midterms.html.
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