Are Republicans Afraid of Young Voters?

Are Republicans Afraid of Young Voters?
1/12/2023 by Michelle Moulton



Voters at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor on Nov. 7, 2022. (Jeff Kowalsky / AFP via Getty Images)

At 18, Americans can purchase a firearm, enlist in the military, or be forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term. But Republicans are increasingly eyeing raising the minimum voting age to at least 21. Republicans have reason to be scared: Last year’s midterm elections had the second-highest youth voter turnout in 30 years, according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University. This gave Democrats the largest margin ever among young voters—especially young women and youth of color—allowing Democrats to flip and keep seats and protect abortion rights in six states.

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This year marks the 52nd anniversary of the ratification of the 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18. But youth voters still face many roadblocks: The Voting Rights Alliance has documented over 61 forms of voter suppression in the U.S., many of which affect young people, such as the refusal to place polling sites on college campuses, strict voter ID laws and student voter restrictions, long lines, and racial gerrymandering. “Gen Z voters should take voter suppression threats extremely seriously,” said Loretta Ross, co-founder of SisterSong, Smith College professor and MacArthur fellow. “The Gen Z voters that [Republicans] are scared of are their own children, are their neighbors’ children. They can’t hide in their gated communities from their own children.”

“And it’s not only the youth vote,” added Ross. *******“[Republicans] are afraid of the women’s vote as well.” ********

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Nationwide, college students are concerned about threats to their voting rights.

“The fact that there are Republicans calling to raise the voting age to 21 because Gen Z showed up in HEAVY Democratic numbers last night is both laughable and terrifying,” tweeted Olivia Julianna from Gen Z for Change, a nonprofit leveraging social media to promote civil discourse and political action. “This is a deliberate effort to exclude young voters, who often vote blue,” said Hannah Phelps, a 21-year-old college student from Connecticut. “[Republicans] are aware of how much power the young people in our country hold,” said Aimee Dupont, 22, from Massachusetts. “This is an attempt to take away Gen Z’s voice.”

Young voters were the only age group to cite abortion as their top priority in exit polling. (Among all women voters, abortion and women’s rights were tied with inflation and rising prices in determining their votes, according to a Ms. poll ahead of the midterms.) But young voters have multiple priorities, including inflation, climate justice, gun control and immigration. Young people will soon dominate the electorate, which means Democrats and Republicans must center their future campaigns on their issues. “Everything hinges on voting rights,” said Ross.

https://msmagazine.com/2023/01/12/raise-voting-age-midterm-gen-z-red-wave-young-voter-suppression/