The Youth Vote:

Today’s and Tomorrow’s Voters

Vaani Thavalingam

Courtney Jung

POL101H1 :The Real World of Politics: An Introduction

October 9th 2022

For a nation’s policies to be inclusive it requires electoral votes from those formulating todays

and tomorrow’s world. Preluding to the importance of youth participation in formal political

processes as younger generations tend to be more socially congruent and, as the most diversly

populated generation contributing to decision-making regarding current socio-economic and

political issues allows the disenfranchised to be engaged and provided with political

representation. Thus, youth votes are considerably more important than older generations as the

youth are more nuanced of the current political climate and have a greater likelihood of increased

social intersectionality. Generation Z, the youngest generation with right to vote, has made

intriguing ways to go about activism as Professor Tanu Biswas, unearths the public perception of

young activists’ extreme sensitivity and the influx of school strikes as a form of political

activism. Bisaws concludes regarding Generation Z’s take on n activism calling it “a sensitively

sensible democratic response (Biswas 2021, 9).” He adds by stating, “The sensitivity that

qualifies the sensible entails becoming aware of the layers of adultism that interfere with the

overlapping realms of education and democracy as an intergenerational relationship. The childist

proposition of “letting teach,” in turn, does not refer to seeing children as adult educators who

have voting rights. Rather, it is about getting past the adultist interferences (as far as possible) to

grasp that despite structural and socio-political obstacles, impactful participation happens. A

form of participation that cannot be captured within school walls but is literally only possible by

going beyond it. (Biswas 2021, 9).” The younger generation’s confrontational nature embedded

into their activism regarding various social, economic, and environmental affairs, creates

productive counter measures sponsored by political powers. Such awareness required for the

such activism demonstrates a deep understanding regarding of social issues like the article

mentioned climate change protest (Biswas 2021, 7); signifying this generation’s understanding of

how time-sensitive environmental issues are as they consequently can decline quality of life.

Moving on to the diversity aspect of the youngest generations and how it pertains to the

important of the youth vote. A study by Pew Research Center discovered (see Appendix 2) that
the youngest-voting generation is the most racially and ethnically diverse (Parker and Igielnik

2020). As this generation is often more subjected to growing up in melting pots rather than

homogenous nations, leading to the youth are exposed to various cultures and backgrounds thus,

creating creates a larger sense of empathy for those of a social minority. As previously

established, younger generations are often more likely to raise issues in a direct manner to

government and adding a layer of greater empathy creates a generational inclination for equitable

polices. All in all, youth votes allow policies to be more for considerate of ongoing

socioeconomic issues and in fairness to racial, religious, ethnic, sexual and gender minorities.

Appendices

Appendix 1
 Bibliography

Biswas, Tanu “Letting Teach: Gen Z as Socio-Political Educators in an Overheated World.” The Civic

and Political Participation of Young People: Current Changes and Educational Consequences,

3rd ed., edited by Isabel Menezes, 4-9, Department of Philosophy, University of Bayreuth,

Bayreuth, Germany, April 28th, 202. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpos.2021.641609

Parker, Kim and Igielnik, Ruth. “On the Cusp of Adulthood and Facing an Uncertain Future: What We

Know About Gen Z So Far.” Pew Research Centre, May 14, 2022.

https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/05/14/on-the-cusp-of-adulthood-and-facing-an-

uncertain-future-what-we-know-about-gen-z-so-far-2/