Following one of the most significant elections in U.S. history, Millennial Action Project’s Executive Director and COO, Layla Zaidane, shared insights and takeaways with a transatlantic audience in the United States and Europe on a panel titled “A Decisive Moment: U.S. Election and Its Implications for Transatlantic Relations”.
On the panel, which was convened by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Layla addressed factors that influenced voter profiles, motivations and outcomes of young voters, and unique challenges of the 2020 Presidential Election. Layla, along with fellow panelists Soren Dayton from Protect Democracy and Bruce Stokes of the German Marshall Fund, analyzed factors that contributed to the 2020 election results and forecasted outcomes for America's political future both domestically and abroad. The speakers also addressed how America can progress past the deeply divisive political landscape that defined the most recent election cycle to initiate an era of political bridge-building on an international scale.
Going into the 2020 election, Covid-19 restrictions posed a looming challenge for the democratic process. However, record voter turnout, particularly among young voters, indicates that the system worked despite the enormous stress of the pandemic. Layla explained that investments in civic infrastructure made this success possible. Additionally, organizers established relationships with Gen-Z and Millennial voters during non-election years to plant the seed of democratic participation.
Since colleges and other community organizations were closed in the months leading up to the election, these efforts were especially important in reaching voters. In swing states, the impact of mobilization strategies as youth turnout during early voting in 2020 exceeded the total youth voter turnout in 2016. This difference was enough to flip some states and ultimately turn the election in favor of Joe Biden.
America’s youth — its most diverse generations — are often assumed to align with Democratic candidates, but it is important to remember that demographics do not necessarily equate to political affiliation, and that investments in civic infrastructure are essential in order to motivate voters to engage politically. While young people of color heavily favored Biden-Harris, the 2020 election saw the largest non-white vote for Republicans since 1960. In Florida, many working class Latinos went for Trump, contributing to his victory in the state.
The fastest growing political affiliation in the United States is Independent, and this trend is driven by young people who are less motivated by clear-cut party labels, instead translating their skepticism of political institutions into an ability to operate and seek change outside of traditional ideological boxes. We have seen evidence that this disillusionment does not equal apathy, as citizens who are more cynical about politics are actually more likely to vote. Additionally, due to the diverse nature of Millennial and Gen-Z voters, they are accustomed to engaging across differences, since many of them have natively had to do this throughout their upbringing. This positions these generations well to build diverse coalitions to tackle the problems they face.
Findings of the Millennial Action Project’s Millennials on the Rise candidate tracker exhibit the rapidly growing number of Millennial candidates running for Congress. From 2018 to 2020, there was a 266% increase in Millennials running for Congress. In 2020, MAP has tracked 703 Millennial candidates for Congress throughout this cycle, compared to just 264 in 2018. Moreover, increased Millennial representation in Congress empowers young people to participate politically. Whether through protests, peer-to-peer mobilization or voicing their political opinions at the ballot box, Gen-Z and Millennial voters are a beacon of hope for a possible American political culture that transcends partisan tribalism to focus on issues most important to the electorate.