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Voters between 18 and 29 made
history in the 2020 election. According to the Center for Information
and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement, or CIRCLE, at least 52 percent
of them, and perhaps as many as 55 percent voted. That turnout is at
least ten percentage points higher than in 2016, and the highest
voting level among that age group since the 26th Amendment granted
those over 18 were granted the right to vote in 1971. Not only did
young people vote in unprecedented numbers, but they also voted
heavily in swing states like Georgia and Michigan. Arguably, young
people are responsible for the Biden victory. Virtually every
population subgroup can claim part of the credit for the Biden
victory. Black women voted for him by higher margins than any other
group. Latinx voters in Arizona put him over the top in that state.
Among young people, every group, except white men, voted for former
Vice President Joe Biden.
The CIRCLE study of young voters
offers lessons for upcoming elections. Young voters made up their
minds about their electoral choice later than other votes.
Three-quarters of those over 29 had their minds made up from the
beginning. CIRCLE also suggests that information about early voting,
mail-in ballots, and other procedures was not as available as it
might have been. Despite a massive attempt to get out the vote by
African American activists, fewer African American youth voted in
person, partly because many did not get enough information about
voting mechanics. Some of this is due to voter suppression, and some
may be due to insufficient outreach. Also, many who are students may
have faced barriers in voting.
Those of us who are elders have
often lamented that young folks don’t vote, but the CIRCLE study
suggests we need to hold our powder. Young voters did not vote as
much as the rest of us (total voter participation hovers at 70
percent), but they voted more than they ever had, and they had more
significant barriers than older voters did. And for those of us who
lean left, we must acknowledge that this summer’s Black Lives
Matter protest may have pulled young people to the polls. According
to the CIRCLE studies, young people are concerned about COVID,
climate change, racism, and the economy. If federal, state, and local
governments manage these issues and offer young people the
opportunity for engagement, the 2020 coalition may stick together.
The 2020 youth coalition is, in some
ways, our hope for the future. Young people mostly voted for Biden
along race and gender lines, but the young white male holdout
suggests that some of today’s race challenges may persist into the
future. Meanwhile, within the Democratic-leaning 2020 youth
coalition, there are apparent tensions and differences around how we
prioritize these concerns and how we emphasize the intersectionality
of these concerns. It’s not either/or with the economy, COVID,
climate change, and racism; it’s all of the above. The Biden team
will have to walk a tightrope to balance everyone’s needs and
concerns.
I am excited about the 2020 youth
coalition and look forward to how they may continue to come together
for better health care, a more inclusive economy, planet-saving
policies to slow climate change, and the dismantling of systemic
racism. I’d be even more excited if young Trump supporters dared to
stand up to the man who lives in his own delusional world to tell him
to concede this election. Our nation, and the world, have been
treated to the obscene image of a grotesque toddler throwing a
tantrum on the international stage. If Republican elders don’t step
up to stop the madness, perhaps young people, especially those who
voted for 45, can talk some sense into him. After all, when we say
that young people will inherit this world, we don’t divide them by
party.
Young people showed up and showed
out in 2020. For the sake of our future, they need to keep it up.
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