Young voters made a difference in mid-term elections
In a column before Election Day, I explored the participation of young voters (ages18 to 29) since the 2016 elections. My research showed young voters have been voting in increasingly higher percentages, including in New Mexico and surrounding states. The question to my Generation Z granddaughter and in my own mind was this: Would they do so again in the 2022 midterms? My granddaughter was optimistic; I was uncertain.
Her optimism paid off. This year, young voters had the second highest youth turnout for midterm elections in 30 years. In previous mid-term elections young voter turnout nationwide hovered around 20 percent. This year, that number was just under 30 percent and in battleground states such as Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and other places it was slightly above that number. CIRCLE, the Center for Information Research and Learning at Tufts University, has been studying young voter behavior for two decades. This year, their preliminary report concludes that “it’s clear young people had a major impact on the 2022 midterms.”
In Wisconsin, the incumbent Gov. Tony Evers won re-election by a slim margin of 3%. Evers’ opponent, businessman Tim Michels, was an election denier endorsed by Donald Trump. Data shows young voters preferred Democratic candidates by a margin of 40 points. They made the difference for Evers.
In Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer won by a 12-point margin. Voters also approved Proposition 3, securing a woman’s right to a safe, legal abortion by a similar margin. Young voters supported Whitmer by 36 points over her opponent, an election denier, Tudor Dixon. At the same time young voters overwhelmingly supported Prop. 3 making a difference for women in Michigan.
Josh Shapiro, governor-elect of Pennsylvania, won his election over extremist and election denier Doug Mastriano by a wide margin. And Katie Hobbs, the current secretary of state of Arizona, defeated another MAGA election denier, Kari Lake. In both states the youth vote was over 30%, exceeding the nation’s average of 27%.
In New Mexico, the statistics are not yet available about young voter participation, but all signs point to strong engagement. Election officials reported long lines and waiting in polling places located at UNM, NMSU, Highlands University and Western New Mexico University. Ten thousand voters took advantage of same day registration on Election Day, with a significant percentage of them on college campuses. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham won re-election by six points over her opponent who wanted to ban abortion.
Recently, I attended a faith-based group discussion about the midterms. At one point the discussion leader asked what surprised us or made us hopeful about the elections. More than one person said, “the number of young people who voted.” The group ranged in age from early 40s to early 70s. For most of them, the participation of young voters was a surprise
For Jack Lobel, age 18 and a first-time voter, this wasn’t the case. Jack is a first-year student at Columbia University and the communications director for Voters of Tomorrow, a non-profit that engages GenZ voters. Recently, he wrote in USA Today about concerns driving young voters to the polls: a burning planet, abortion access, “weapons of war” in our schools, assault on democracy. When addressing growing participation, he said 2018 may have been seen as a fluke, 2020 maybe a coincidence, but 2022 shows a definite pattern.
Young voters can no longer be an afterthought or dismissed. Their participation in 2022 and their clear impact on races around the country sent a message. They are engaged, here to stay, and their ranks are increasing.
Young voter participation should no longer be a surprise but a wave of hope for everyone.
This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Young voters made a difference in mid-term elections
