Young voters
Thoughts?
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borrowed more money than needed and used it for non-college needs. My youngest did it. All her friends did it. She is GenY...my millennials did not do this. I think that the program has to be reformed to pay for college expenses and not other things. Some relief must be offered. But I very much doubt there is much support for total forgiveness. 
A lot of their friends took out loans for tuition. I'm sure there are some kids who take out loans for other expenses, but it's very understandable considering it's so hard to get by in this environment where everything is so incredibly expensive. Even things like used cars -- a lot of them cost what a brand new car would have cost not long ago.
Yes, we need massive reform.
Better than Gen X as an overall group as well, but the difference really kicks in with us (I am right on the cusp of both gens, born in mid-late 1996, 3 and half months before Gen Z starts).
We are the ones who are often (or soon will be) stuck with massive debt and insanely expensive housing, stagnant or in retreat wages, especially at the lower ends of the spectrum, for example, the federal minimum wage was last raised in 2009, to $7.25 per hour ($7.25 is STILL the minimum wage in 20 states until at least 2026 as it stands (see below), which is now like making around 4.50 usd per hour in 2022 due to inflation, etc), plus we will are going to be lashed with a likely out of control environment.
https://ogletree.com/interactive-minimum-wage-chart/
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/ASPUS
in PA, OH, and WI. And I do not think young voters are that useful yet. The third-party bullshit makes them less reliable and they haven't turned out. I sincerely hope they turn out for Roe. Time will tell.
You have to win the midwest in order to win presidential elections. I know some voters from other areas like California or New York find that difficult but look at an electoral map. As we speak, there is no other way. As for young voters, I expect only age and experience will get them to vote in any substantial numbers.
I have 2 kids who are young voters, I'd say I listen very close 
Your argument here is exactly the sort of disconnect young voters speak of between older folks and themselves.
Words like "purity" as an example don't exactly go with the flow when you're talking 2 generations who are making less money then their elders. You have to understand that they're very angry, fed up, and just dunzo with party politics entirely. So how do you solve it?
It's really quite simple - you obviously put forth policies which they want, need, and support. That's not "purity", that's representational!
And that's the path forward to absolutely crush and destroy the Republican Party so it is never a threat again on the federal level. You do that & you wouldn't ever have to worry about working with the GOP again.
How's that sound?
Maybe it's us who should recognize that young voters have it a LOT more difficult than we did when we were their age.
A perfect example of the disconnect I describe is student loan debt erasure. That certainly seems to be a very hot topic with differing opinions based on a generational divide. Or how about weed legalization? Or say climate change? And then there's "Housing For All". A huge swatch of young voters can't afford homes. They also can't afford rent. We could shelter everyone in this country for less than the cost of an aircraft carrier.
To paraphrase Tupcac ---
"They Have Money For War But Can't Feed The Poor.”.
The song "Keep Ya Head Up" those lyrics are from came out in 1993!!!!
when you should be punching up?
You seem to have some sort of disdain for young people who are just trying to make things better & survive.
And hate to tell ya but social media is very much here to stay. Expressing your feeling is never a bad thing I might add too so why are you chastising, attacking, and being openly hostile to people who are are hopeless and literally trying just to survive?
There's hope though but sometimes you need to have a bit of a more understanding approach with a slight dose of elegance thrown in lol Times are beginning to change & that is for the better of the party I believe. Younger generations are much more progressive and to the left than current leadership is & they're much more aware on social justice issues as well.
It's awesome to watch, see, & experience.
It's neat. My kiddo lives in Germany and is attending college there. Completely tuition free too I might add because EDU is seen as a human right there unlike here & because of it, he'll never have student loans. So why aren't we doing that here when we certainly should be. Anyways, he attended the huge LGBTQ parade in Berlin carrying a BLM flag and a flag of the Osage nation.
Think about that, a Native kid running around in a country far far away carrying the Osage flag and a BLM flag.
The German's knew all about the BLM flag of course, the Osage flag not so much lol.
My point though is this -
Young voters are very engaged.
And that is a GOOD thing!
In the next decade you're going to see a massive rise from the left (I mean progressives and Democratic Socialists) that will change everything. And here's the kicker, older voters are going to be floored when young voters begin talking about Social Security.
Right now the battle cry is "protect Social Security!" That battle cry has been around for decades. Young voters won't be talking about "protecting Social Security" so much as "expand Social Security!"
The difference on messaging & policy is pretty large. But it's a really huge deal when you have the largest voting bloc believing that seniors shouldn't be living in absolute squander trying to make it on a government check that would've gotten the job done in 1981.
Giving seniors, the disabled, & others a living wage as it relates to Social Security as a "base" for the amount someone receives every month is a big frackin' deal. (I hope I'm not repeating myself too much. I'm exhausted and was up all night due to my o2 going south.)
Anyways though, good discussion!
Keep your head up because better things WILL be happening
Last edited Tue Aug 23, 2022, 01:52 PM - Edit history (1)
...has directly propelled and furthered what they claim to be so very much against.
Republicans would just love for young voters to throw up their hands in disgust and abstain for voting -- after all, that's how Republicans won in 2000, 2010, 2016, etc. And if you call my attitude towards them """openly hostile""" -- it's only towards a specific subset of these voters, the ones that try to depress other young voter turnout by being nihilistic and shitting on anything and everything we actually accomplish (you know, PROGRESS) -- it's because I've seen how this sort of attitude has only set back the progress earlier generations have achieved, made the lives of young voters (and many more) even harder, and prevents us from doing the things that need to be done to address such problems.
If young voters can blame """the two-party system""" ( 
) for all their problems, I certainly can blame them not voting and allowing increasingly fascist Republicans to gain power and roll back and reverse the progress we've made over the decades, yes? Because one is actually the root cause of our problem and it sure as hell ain't """ the two-party system""" because you will inevitably have to compromise and reach a governing consensus whether there are two parties or 81 million parties.
And the evidence is in your rhetoric as I clearly pointed out.
I understand what you're saying but at the same time you aren't exactly proposing any solutions to solve the problem.
As I stated, you get people to the voting booth with POLICY they want, need, and support. We need to solve the root of the problem.
And we can.
I don't understand why you're arguing with me over people who want to make things better.
Understand that many of the things impacting young voters were put in place before they were even born or shortly after.
They had no say in W's "Bankruptcy Bill" which did away with the ability to discharge student loan debt in bankruptcy.
Nor did they have a say when the credit score system was created in 1989. Nor did they have a say in things like 3 strikes, the gutting & cutting of SNAP & WIC. Ya, there's plenty. And all of those issues drastically impact them on a daily basis.
We can sit here and argue all day long what constitutes "progress" but in the end FDR's 2nd was almost 100 years ago.
Imagine how much different things would be today had that gotten done? I'd love to see more run on that. Talk about a vote getter, ohhhh boy! That's a fatality to the Republican Party lol
https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/election-week-2020
Note: The analysis below reflects our youth voter turnout estimate based on data immediately available in the days and weeks after the 2020 Election Day. In Spring 2021, based on voter files from 40+ states, we revised our estimate of young people's electoral participation to 50%. Read more.
According to CIRCLE’s exclusive estimates, youth turnout was much higher in the 2020 election than in 2016.
Our calculations, based on votes counted as of November 18, suggest that 52%-55% of voting-eligible young people, ages 18-29, cast a ballot in the 2020 presidential election. Using the same methodology and data from a week after the election in 2016, we had previously estimated that youth voter turnout in 2016 was 42-44%.
In addition, we are projecting that once all votes are counted, youth turnout may rise to 53%-56%. Our 2016 projection based on the same data was that youth voter turnout that year would be 45%-48%. It’s notable that even the early youth turnout estimate for 2020 is higher than the projected estimate from 2016.
CIRCLE’s exclusive early turnout estimates are based on tallies of votes cast, and projected turnout uses vote totals from the U.S. Election Project (including projected totals in 2020). All estimates are based on the youth share of the vote from the National Election Pool exit polls by Edison Research. We are publishing a range for each estimate in order to account for the margin of error in the youth share of voters.
More at link https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/election-week-2020#youth-voter-turnout-increased-in-2020
As the 2022 midterm elections approaches this fall, much public discussion is focused on expected voter turnout, particularly for young adults who demonstrated impressive voting efforts in the last midterm elections. According to the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey, the share of U.S. young adults ages 18 to 24 who voted in the last midterm elections nearly doubled, from 17% in 2014 to 32% in 2018. While the 2018 midterm was widely recognized for its high turnout among all voting age groups, young adults are credited for their extraordinary civic engagement that year. Activists, advocates and leaders focused on youth engagement are working hard to maintain that momentum in 2022.
snip
Gen Z, Millennials and Gen X outvoted older generations in 2018 midterms
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/05/29/gen-z-millennials-and-gen-x-outvoted-older-generations-in-2018-midterms/
2020
If not for us younger voters (and my age cohort in 2020 voted more than 2 to 1 for Biden, see below) Trump would still be the President. Flip just 21,461 total votes from Blue to Red, split between just 3 states (WI, AZ, and GA) and Trump would still be POTUS.
Furthermore, just Millennials and Gen Z (not including Gen X) will equal the Boomers and up vote (actual votes not just eligible) in 2024 and pass them if you add in Xennials (the 1977-1980 born micro gen sometimes called the Carter Babies in the US). By 2028 we will utterly dominate.
We voted (often overwhelmingly depending on the exact age cohort and election) for Democrats by large majorities in all the elections we have voted in, including 2016, 2018 and 2020.
Boomers plus older gens combined voted majority Rethug in those same elections. We also turned out in higher numbers in 2020 than older gens did at the same age in previous presidential elections.
The 2020 election shows Gen Z’s voting power for years to come
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/18/the-2020-election-shows-gen-zs-voting-power-for-years-to-come.html
snip
Generation Z, who are currently between the ages of 8 and 23, played a significant role in both of these records. NBC exit polls suggest that 65% of those between the ages of 18 and 24 voted for Biden — 11% more than any other age group. And in states like Georgia and Pennsylvania, young voters proved to be key to Biden’s success.
“I’ve been doing demographic analysis about the changing American electorate for two decades,” says Simon Rosenberg, president of NDN (previously known as the New Democrat Network) and the New Policy Institute. “53% to 55% of registered 18 to 29-year-olds appear to have voted. That may be the highest ever recorded in the modern era of politics.”
“Both Generation Z and millennials are voting generations,” says Brent Cohen, executive director of Generation Progress. “The preliminary data says, in fact, this was the election with the highest turnout rate of young people that we’ve ever seen.”
“Gen Z voters were very enthusiastic about this election,” says Karlyn Bowman, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. “A number of things appeared to be driving young people’s level of participation and level of excitement about the campaign and it wasn’t Joe Biden, though they certainly like Joe Biden overall. They were voting more against Donald Trump than they were for Joe Biden.”
snip
Young voters in the US turned out in record numbers in 2020, powering Biden's presidential victory
Over half of all voters under the age of 30 voted in the 2020 elections, a record figure, according to data from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University. The surge in turnout greatly benefited President-elect Joe Biden, who won this demographic by 24 points (60%-36%) over President Donald Trump.
https://www.businessinsider.com/young-voters-record-voting-turnout-biden-trump-presidential-election-2020-11
Over half of all voters under the age of 30 voted in the 2020 elections, a record figure, and the demographic powered President-elect Joe Biden's victory over President Donald Trump, according to data from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University.
The data revealed that 52% to 55% of registered voters under 30 cast ballots. In the 2016 presidential election between Trump and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, roughly 42% to 44% of voters in this age group voted.
This year, the voters under 30 who cast ballots this year overwhelmingly supported Biden over Trump by a 60% to 36% margin, according to Edison Research. In 2016, many of these same voters supported Clinton over Trump by a narrower but still significant 55% to 36% margin.
Early data from Colorado, Georgia, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington state showed a huge increase in youth turnout, according to The Hill. Tom Bonier, chief executive officer at the Democratic data firm TargetSmart, told The Hill that "the increase in turnout among younger voters was greater than the increase overall."
snip
Last edited Tue Aug 23, 2022, 08:56 AM - Edit history (1)
These are quotes. Quotes mean I did not say this. Who doesn't know this?
First, I was an 18 yr old voter in '71' - tmhe first wave! 
I was a mix of excited and not.
Excited, of course, to be able to vote for the first time!
But it was a very off-year election. No local city council (I looked it up), no Mayor, nothing higher either.
The only thing were 3 proposals/amendments. I must have voted for/against at least one. Don't remember. So I was disappointed there was nothing else.
But I've voted in almost every Primary and General election since.
So I looked it up and only about 50% of '71's new 18, 19 & 20 yr old voters voted.
So that was that, somewhat disappointing.
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So this year...
Foremost preserving Democracy is the highest, most crucial goal.
My goodness, if we lose either chamber the rest of Biden's agenda will be stalked, or lost.
The repuglicans might further try to quash voting rights before 2024.
I can't see why we can't do some of both old & young voters issues: and there are crossovers .
Let's talk about student debt and try to help a lot more people: whether a full forgiven, or at least a 50% reduction.
Let's go after some more loop holes in taxes, and make wealthier people, and corporations pay more like they used to and more of what country needs dobe! That should appeal to a very broad demographic!
I see Climate Change also has a very broad appeal the young will suffer the most we appeal to them direcrly
For older voters our younger, and way younger family, and friends will suffer. We (should) want to help them.
Let's talk about strengthening, and expanding Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
First, I was an 18 yr old voter in '71' - tmhe first wave! I was a mix of excited and not.
Excited, of course, to be able to vote for the first time!
But it was a very off-year election. No local city council (I looked it up), no Mayor, nothing higher either.
The only thing were 3 proposals/amendments. I must have voted for/against at least one. Don't remember. So I was disappointed there was nothing else.
But I've voted in almost every Primary and General election since.
So I looked it up and only about 50% of '71's new 18, 19 & 20 yr old voters voted.
So that was that, somewhat disappointing.
-------------------------------------
So this year...
Foremost preserving Democracy is the highest, most crucial goal.
My goodness, if we lose either chamber the rest of Biden's agenda will be stalked, or lost.
The repuglicans might further try to quash voting rights before 2024. Plus we have to keep both Chambers so we can fight the basic dissolution of human rights for many women losing their right to abortion. Esp fighting against a total Federal Ban. Horrific, harrowing.
I can't see why we can't do some of both old & young voters issues: and there are crossovers .
Let's talk about student debt and try to help a lot more people: whether a full forgiven, or at least a 50% reduction.
Let's go after some more loop holes in taxes, and make wealthier people, and corporations pay more like they used to and get more of what the country needs done!
That should appeal to a very broad demographic!
I see Climate Change also has a very broad appeal: the young will suffer the most (the poor, too) we appeal to them directly.
For older voters - our younger, and way younger family, and friends will suffer more! We (should) want to help them.
Let's talk about strengthening, and expanding Social Security (SSD, SSI,too) Medicare, and Medicaid.
I certainly want reduced, or elinated programs for the poor returned, and returned to full strength.
And as above we must somehow try to reverse the ever increasing evisceration of Voting Rights.
Our plate is filled to the brim, and there's still more issues to deal with: gun restrictions, campaign reform (including CU), on & on.
