What’s behind the high turnout of Gen Z? Abortion a main driver

Olivia Montgomery
| Kent State News Lab

Generation Z posted higher turnout in 2022 compared to previous generations in midterm elections. As the 2024 election approaches, the campaign continues to target this generation – including outreach led by Gen Z voters themselves.

“Historically, young voters, I think, have been left out in a lot of ways in terms of campaign engagement because we haven’t always had the highest turnout,” said Jessica Siles, press secretary deputy of Voters of Tomorrowa Gen Z-led organization working to engage and represent younger Americans in politics. “It’s so unfortunate, because in so many ways, young people will be the most affected by these policies.”

Generation Z is in a big way motivated to vote because of specific policies which are on the line, one of the most motivating being reproductive rights. Political groups and candidates are implemented new campaign strategies to capture the interest of the younger generation.

Generation Z includes people born in the late 1990s to early 2000s

Generation Z is problem-focused

Gen Z voters “really care about specific issues,” added Patrick Houlihan, a senior political science major at the University of Miami, president of Ohio College Democrat and the Northwest Regional Chair for the Butler County Democratic Party.

“We’re sick of the ‘strongman’ stuff,” Houlihan said. “We’re sick of the ‘I’m going to save the world’ stuff. We want to see someone propose some policy, or even better, put a policy on the ballot.”

A study from the Sine Institute for Politics and Policy found that health care (24%), the economy (24%), reproductive rights (23%) and the environment (21%) were among the top issues Gen Z were concerned about in 2024 . choice.

Abortion is a key issue

Reproductive rights are brought up in almost every conversation about the upcoming election, Siles said. Voters of Tomorrow poll saw 35% of Gen Z voters pick abortion as one of their top three issues.

“Reproductive freedom is just something that Gen Z cares so much about,” Siles said. “We pretty much grew up seeing, a lot of times, our parents and grandparents have these things. Now it feels like they were taken away from us.”

When Roe v. Wade it was overthrow in 2022, the constitutional right to abortion was eliminated, leaving reproductive restrictions up to individual states. The upcoming presidential election proves an opportunity for all this to change.

She hopes the issue will push young voters to the polls.

“I think for young voters (who are) maybe on the fence about proving themselves, something tangible is very motivating,” Siles said.

Organizers are campaigning to target Generation Z

Face-to-face and authentic messaging are some of the best ways to harness Gen Z interest and turn it into action. Representing Gen Z starts by giving them a seat at the table, which Voters of Tomorrow does by being led by members of the generation.

“We’ve found, and there’s a lot of research to back this up, that peer-to-peer and relational organizing is super effective,” Siles said. “You want to hear from messengers who look like you, who are going through the same experiences.”

This type of peer-to-peer organization is common on college campuses, with groups setting up tables in common areas to initiate conversations with their peers.

“We’re trying to have as many conversations with constituents and students as possible, because that’s the only way you move people,” Houlihan said. “But we won’t see how people actually think or how they were actually moved by it until we see the results on Election Day.”

None of the College Republican organizations contacted for this story, including the University of Cincinnati Republicans, the University of Akron Republicans, the Ohio State University Republicans, the Ohio University Republicans, the Ohio University Republicans, the Kent State College and Kent State Turning Point in the US did not respond to a request for comment.

However, Houlihan said he appreciates people willing to engage in conversations when they disagree.

“I don’t see a problem with people having opposing views,” Houlihan said. “If someone comes to me and has an intelligent, insightful discussion about a particular policy issue, I want to have that conversation. You have to talk about everything to break this kind of polarization that we have in our political sphere today.”

Another way to frame these conversations is to talk directly about how a particular candidate will affect the rights or policies at stake.

Houlihan cited US Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio as an example. Brown is running to retain his Senate seat against Republican challenger Bernie Moreno.

“If Sherrod Brown wins the state, it’s very likely that the Democrats will be able to keep the Senate,” Houlihan said. “If that’s the case, we can prevent a nationwide Republican abortion ban from even being considered and passed.”

Candidates are also targeting Generation Z

Siles stressed the importance of making sure all messages, especially social media campaigns, are authentic.

Vice President Kamala Harris has used her TikTok frequently, jumping on numerous viral trends on the platform. Many Gen Zers praise these outreach efforts, commenting“OK, this must be a Gen Z running this account because that’s what eats” and “whoever runs this account deserves a raise.”

A recent one Harvard Institute of Politics Poll found that Harris leads Trump among young women 70% to 23%. Among young men, she leads 53% to 36%.

The political gender gap also plays into the issue of abortion specifically. A new report from Survey Center on American Life found that more than half (55%) of young women strongly oppose making it more difficult for a woman to get an abortion. Far fewer young men (38%) feel strongly against reproductive rights.

Harris went on one of Spotify’s the most popular podcasts“Call Her Daddy,” in early October. Throughout the 44-minute episode, Harris spoke in depth about her stance on abortion and women’s reproductive rights in the United States. The podcast gathers a predominant the younger female audience.

Trump has appeared on popular male-dominated podcasts such as Internet personality Logan Paul’s “IMPULSIVE“. However, his campaign rarely posts on TikTok.

Siles said Voters of Tomorrow is also working to reach Gen Z through direct voter contact through text messages, phone calls and email campaigns. Siles is hoping for a big youth turnout.

“I think a lot of young people really understand what’s at stake for their future in this cycle,” Siles said. “I think we’re going to see another cycle of very high youth voter turnout.”

This story was originally published by Kent State News Laba collaborative news outlet that publishes journalism by Kent State students.