From climate marches to social justice protests, the center of politics is quickly becoming the younger generation. Gen Z's are speaking up more now than they ever have, and each election gives them a greater role in shaping what really matters. Their votes now are beginning to make a difference in the changing of outcomes and shifting the focus of political conversations.
One big reason is numbers as older generations stop voting, the younger ones make up more of the voting population. Youth turnout jumped in the 2020 presidential election. Many young voters were driven by issues such as climate change, racial equality, and student debt. Their involvement helped decide key races and proved that young voices can make a real difference.
Advocates for youth leading believe that young people are better equipped today to lead in today's world since they grew up in technology, diversity, and openness to new ideas. Long-term problems that quite a number of them do care about include such issues as climate change, gun violence, and money struggles. These are issues that will most affect their futures.
Younger voters are indeed moving away from traditional political parties, considering themselves independents who set a higher priority on solving problems than on party loyalty, which in turn can be the positive implication of shifting political structures and less divided politics.
Not everyone, though, is convinced young people are ready for leadership. Some critics believe they lack life experience and knowledge about how the government works. While the turnout of young people is improving, it often trails behind that of older age groups in many elections.
Others worry that young people may be too idealistic, or that their opinions and decisions are based on social media pressure rather than fact. Some say that they struggle to compromise, which is often necessary to get laws passed. There are some practical obstacles to voting, including strict voter ID laws, hard-to-access registration, and fewer polling places, that make voting more difficult for young voters. In some places, there have been efforts to lower the voting age to 16. But many people push back, saying teens aren't mature enough to make those decisions. So are young people the future of politics? Maybe. They're definitely a growing part of the present. Their energy, creativity, and drive for fairness are changing how politics looks. But if they want to lead, they'll need to stay involved, learn how the government works, and prove.
Written by: Braylen Ragan