Since gaining the right to vote, 18-21 year olds have never turned out at the same rates as older citizens. Is it a matter of apathy? Access? Or both?

In July, Senator Elizabeth Warren along with Representative Nikema Williams filed a bill called the “Youth Voting Rights Act,” in an effort to expand youth access to voting.  The bill would allow 16 and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote so that they’re ready to vote on their 18th birthday, expand voter registration access at public universities and colleges, and require institutions of higher learning to have on-campus polling places.

Recently youth voter turnout has actually increased.  In 2018’s midterms, we saw historic voter turnout rates among people aged 18-29, and in the 2020 Presidential elections, about half of 18 to 29 year olds voted, an 11% increase from 2016.  

We know that in 2020 Gen Z made up 10% of eligible voters in the U.S, and that they are more ethnically and racially diverse than previous generations. They’re also on target to be the most educated generation yet. But as we approach the 2022 midterms, what do Gen Z and other young voters want? And how do they assess the state of our politics and democracy? We hear from young callers about what issues are motivating them in the 2022 elections.

Then, we hear from 19-year-old Anya Dillard, activist and founder of The Next Gen Come Up, and 23-year-old Benji Backer, founder and president at American Conservation Coalition about how they see the state of voting and the health of our democracy.