Organizers hope for high Gen Z voter turnout in Ohio this fall

By Olivia Montgomery/Kent State NewsLab

Gen Z posted greater voter turnout in 2022 compared to previous generations in midterm elections. As the 2024 election approaches, campaigning continues to be directed at this generation — including outreach led by Gen Z voters themselves. 

“Historically, young voters, I think, have been cast aside in a lot of ways in terms of campaign outreach and engagement because we haven’t always had the highest turnout numbers,” said Jessica Siles, deputy press secretary of Voters of Tomorrow, a Gen Z-led organization that works to engage and represent younger Americans in politics. “That’s so unfortunate, because in so many ways, young people are going to be the ones most affected by these policies.”

Gen Z is largely motivated to vote because of specific policies that are on the line, one of the most motivating being reproductive rights. Political groups and candidates are implementing new campaign strategies to capture the interest of the younger generation. 

Gen Z is issues-focused

Gen Z voters “really care about specific issues,” adds Patrick Houlihan, a senior political science major at Miami University, president of the College Democrats of Ohio and the Northwest Regional Chair for the Butler County Democratic Party. 

“We’re sick of the ‘big strong man’ stuff,” Houlihan said. “We’re sick of the ‘I’m going to save the world’ type stuff. We want to see someone forward a specific policy, or even better, put a policy on the ballot.”

A study from the Sine Institute of Policy and Politics found that healthcare (24%), the economy (24%), reproductive rights (23%) and the environment (21%) were among the top issues Gen Z was concerned about in the 2024 election. 

Abortion is a key issue

Reproductive rights are brought up in almost every conversation about the upcoming election, Siles said. A Voters of Tomorrow poll saw 35% of Gen Z voters choose abortion as one of their top three issues.

“Reproductive freedom is just something that Gen Z cares so much about,” Siles said. “It’s almost that we’ve grown up seeing, a lot of times, our parents and grandparents have these things. Now it feels like they’re kind of being taken away from us.”

When Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, the constitutional right to an abortion was removed, leaving reproductive restrictions up to each state individually. The upcoming presidential election proves an opportunity for this all to change. 

She hopes this issue will push young voters to the polls.

“I think for young voters [who are] maybe on the fence about turning out, something that tangible is very motivating,” Siles said.

Organizers are campaigning to target Gen Z

Face-to-face and authentic messaging are some of the best ways to capitalize on the interest of Gen Z and turn it into action. Representing Gen Z starts by giving them a seat at the table, something that Voters of Tomorrow does by being led by members of the generation.

“We have found, and there’s a lot of research to back this up, that peer to peer and relational organizing is super effective,” Siles said. “You want to hear from messengers that look like yourself, that are going through those same experiences.”

This type of peer-to-peer organizing is commonly seen on college campuses, with groups setting up tables in common areas to strike up conversations with their peers. 

“We’re trying to have as many conversations with voters and students as humanly possible, because that’s the only way you move people,” Houlihan said. “But we won’t see how people actually think or actually have been moved by that until we see the results come in on election day.”

None of the college Republican organizations, including the University of Cincinnati Republicans, University of Akron Republicans, The Ohio State University Republicans, Ohio College Republicans, Ohio University Republicans, Kent State College Republicans and Kent State Turning Point USA, replied to a request for comment.

However, Houlihan said he appreciates people willing to engage in conversations when they disagree. 

“I don’t see a problem with people that have opposing views,” Houlihan said. “If someone comes to me and has an intelligent, understanding discussion about a specific policy issue, I want to have that conversation. You have to talk about everything in order to break this sort of polarization that we have in our political sphere today.”

Another way to frame these conversations is to talk directly about how a particular candidate will affect the rights or policies at stake. 

Houlihan mentioned Ohio’s Senator, Sherrod Brown, as an example. Brown is running to retain his Senate seat against Republican challenger Bernie Moreno.

“If Sherrod Brown wins the state, it’s very likely that Democrats can hold on to the Senate,” Houlihan said. “If that’s the case, we can prevent a Republican abortion ban nationwide from even being considered and passed through.” 

Candidates are reaching out to Gen Z, too

Siles emphasized the importance of ensuring all messaging, especially social media campaigning, is authentic. 

Vice President Kamala Harris has been frequently taking to her TikTok, jumping on numerous viral trends on the platform. Many members of Gen Z praise these relatability efforts, commenting, “OK, this has to be a Gen Z running this account because this eats,” and “whoever is running this account deserves a raise”. 

A recent Harvard Institute of Politics Poll found that Harris leads Trump among young women 70% to 23%. Among young men, she leads 53% to 36%.

The political gender gap also plays into the topic of abortion specifically. A new report from the Survey Center on American Life found that more than half (55%) of young women are strongly opposed to making it more difficult for a woman to get an abortion. Far less (38%) young men feel strongly about imposing strong regulations against reproductive rights.

Harris went on one of Spotify’s most popular podcasts, “Call Her Daddy,” in early October. Throughout the 44-minute episode, Harris talked in depth about her stance on abortion and women’s reproductive rights in the United States. The podcast garners a predominantly younger-female audience. 

Trump has appeared on popular male-dominated podcasts, such as internet personality Logan Paul’s “IMPAULSIVE”. His campaign posts infrequently on TikTok, however.

Siles said Voters of Tomorrow is also working on reaching Gen Z by making direct voter contact through text messaging, phone calls and mail campaigns. Siles hopes for a large youth voter turnout. 

“I think a lot of young people really understand what’s at stake for their futures this cycle,” Siles said. “I do think we’re going to see another cycle of really high youth voter turnout.”

This story was originally published by the Kent State NewsLab, a collaborative news outlet publishing journalism by Kent State students.