Energized Younger Voters Expected to Impact Midterms

The two high-profile gubernatorial races this election cycle involve African Americans Stacey Abrams in Georgia and Andrew Gillum, and celebrities have headed South to help their campaign. Oprah visited Georgia last week to support Abrams, Will Ferrell and Common campaigned for Abrams, and on Election Eve Diddy flew to Florida for a rally . But, the real rock stars of this election cycle may be millennials.

“If you look at Andrew Gillum, a substantial number of voters who took him over the top during the primary were millennials,” says LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund.

An article written by Andre M. Perry at the Brookings Institution says 36 million millennials voted in the 2016 election and there are eight million more eligible voters in that age range in the two years since the last election. The country witnessed their commitment to gun control last spring when thousands rallied in Washington, D.C. after the Marjory Stone Douglas high school shooting which left 17 students and staff members dead. And, in addition to gun control, younger voters are concerned about education and healthcare reform, according to a survey conducted by polling company Socialsphere.

20-year-old college student Kennedy Marks voted today. As she wrapped up classes for the day, her boyfriend, 21-year-old Ladarius Clark, waited and together they headed for the polls.

“I’ve reached an age and gained an understanding of the history of voting, the state of our country, and the effect it has on my life,” Marks says.

“I actually think we’re going to see an increase in millennial turnout, and half of our team are millennials,” Brown says. “They’ve been activated in a really good way. I have witnessed more inter-generational work on the ground than I’ve ever seen before. There was a lot of excitement during the Obama campaign, but I don’t think I saw the same type of age integration.”

Vote Mob , Woke Vote , and Black Youth Vote along with the Electoral Justice Project have dedicated time and resources to mobilize younger African American voters. And, the efforts are working because there’s been a “clarion call” within the community to get involved. Brown credits the current tone of the political discourse with motivating African Americans of all ages but especially millennials.

She says, “What we’ve seen from the highest levels of government from Trump on down…this resurgence of white nationalist rhetoric, demonstrations, and racist policies that millennials and even in my generation, Gen Xers, we are seeing things we never thought we’d see. Many of the millennials came of age during the Obama years. Their big introduction to politics was during a time when the message was inclusive, but now…it looks like a nightmare from the 1960s, and they’re asking, ‘What the hell?’”

Marks admits it’s surprising to see the level of political engagement among her peers. And, Brown thinks it’s here to stay.

According to Brown, “In the past the way we’ve measured millennials is did they vote or not…I think more important than that is an intentional long-term engagement. That’s more sustainable.”