With less than 100 days until the 2024 presidential election, voters everywhere are weighing their options and preparing to make their choices on November 5. But although the candidates have changed — Vice President Kamala Harris has replaced President Joe Biden as the presumed Democratic candidate in the race against former president and current Republican candidate Donald Trump — and voters are beginning to feel more excitement about the possibilities for the future, levels of interest in voting in the upcoming election are still quite low.
One group that’s been notably unenthusiastic about the election is Gen Z, the youngest group of eligible voters today. And honestly, it makes sense. Gen Zers came of age in tense and trying political times. From the 2016 election and the pandemic to the riot on January 2, 2021 and a recent slew of highly controversial SCOTUS decisions, all that the country’s youngest voting generation seems to know is unrest. And that can lead to serious political burnout.
However, many people have been saying this for years now, but it becomes more true every time it’s repeated: This election is the most important election the country has had in years, and voting in it is key. Living through historic event after historic event can take a toll, but no matter how tired you are, it’s still important to cast your ballot and make your contributions to democracy.
So how do you talk to friends who disagree with this sentiment and don’t plan to vote at all this fall?
Below, Her Campus speaks with DeNora Getachew, CEO of DoSomething, an organization that promotes youth-centered activism and service, and DoSomething member and Columbia freshman Jade Capellen, who share their advice for motivating your peers to get to the polls.
Remind your friend how their vote really counts.
A whopping 41 million Gen Z voters will be eligible to vote in the 2024 election. It goes without saying that this number has the potential to be transformative. And it doesn’t stop there: Young voters (Gen Zers and Millennials combined) make up nearly half (49%) of the electorate.
“I want to make clear that the transformation is closer than it has ever been,” Getachew says. “[Gen Z and millennials] are the most diverse generations — they think intersectionally, they think clearly, they think systematically … and they could actually change the outcome of the election.”
By sharing these numbers and the power that they could have, you may be able to show a friend who doesn’t plan to vote that the collective youth voice actually has a chance to be heard.
Talk about issues, not candidates.
One way to lose your audience? Centering the conversation around the candidates themselves.
It’s become clear over the past years that the presidential candidates themselves are an increasingly contentious issue, and despite the excitement around Harris, as a whole, Gen Zers aren’t particularly thrilled with their voting options. So instead of trying to center the conversation around who’s at the top of the ticket, discuss the issues at stake instead.
“Reproductive rights, environmental and sustainability issues, LGBTQ+ rights, economic mobility, mental health — I’m asking young people to look at the record, look at the facts … what are the issues that motivate you to vote?” Getachew says.
Remind your friends that this election is about more than just the president — it’s about agendas, policies, and administrations.
Talk about your own stories.
When having conversations about the issues at stake this election, frame them around the issues that are important to you and your friends.
“The civically committed can help inform the civically curious by thinking about their personal stories and asking questions about what issues motivate the person they’re trying to engage,” Getachew says.
Maybe you have a friend who is passionate about nature or a friend who identifies as queer. Tell them why, if those issues are important to them, this is an election they should vote in.
Additionally, tell them why this election is important to you. Showing your friends how you take your personal experiences and use them as motivation to make a change can inspire them to do the same. After all, they’re your friend — they care about your wellbeing!
Hear your friends out, without judgment.
Another key to motivating your friends to vote is finding out why they aren’t interested in voting in the first place.
“When someone isn’t interested in voting, I think the goal should be making voting easier for them, and that starts with finding out what barriers they might be facing,” Capellen says. “Oftentimes, [people] just have unanswered questions, so directing them to resources that are approachable rather than casting judgment is a good approach.”
Whether your friends don’t know where to find reliable news or are unsure about how to cast their vote, remaining patient and nonjudgmental while you provide them with the answers they need and non-intimidating resources could help make them more comfortable with voting.
Keep it short.
Getachew suggests multiple ways to make a conversation about voting productive, including one very practical tip. “It has to come from the heart and it has to resonate in ways that are both empowering and relatable. It has to be nonjudgmental but also engaging — and it has to be succinct,” Getachew says. “We live in a world where we all don’t have incredibly long attention spans.”
Keeping your conversations short and to the point, but still engaging, is the key to making them worthwhile, rather than falling flat or ending up with you talking in circles.
Ask them to register to vote.
Every state has its own voter registration deadline, with many of them being in the weeks leading up to the election. Let your friend know that registering to vote is a low-lift, low-stakes way to ensure they will be allowed to vote if they decide to do so. Make sure they know that you don’t have to vote if you register to do so, but in all states (except North Dakota), you have to be a registered voter in order to vote. If they’re overwhelmed or don’t know where to start, offer to help them register!
Make a plan to vote, and make it enjoyable.
To help your friends feel less like they’re navigating the election on their own, make sure they know they have a friend and confidant in you, and try to get them excited about exercising their right to vote. Plus, you can make a day out of it!
“I like to make voting fun and not seem like a chore,” Cappellen says. This could mean planning a little coffee run on your way to the polls, or scheduling a lunch date or shopping trip afterward so they have something to look forward to.
Prioritize your self care.
Politics can be stressful and divisive — the past few presidential elections have certainly made that clear. It’s easy to get worked up over political issues and let it consume all of your thoughts and conversations, but zooming out is important.
“It is honestly overwhelming,” Getachew says. “Let’s at least acknowledge the world we’re living in and take a breath. It can feel really heavy, especially if you’re a first-time voter or if you’ve only voted once.”
Allowing yourself to stay grounded can make a huge difference and help prevent burnout, so make sure to breathe, and remind others to do so too. The world didn’t always exist in a 24-hour news cycle, and the constant onslaught of information can be a lot to take in, and it can burn you out quickly. That’s why it’s important to remember to give yourself some time to not be thinking about politics.
“I like to say that democracy is a full-contact sport,” Getachew says. “Just because you play the sport, [it] doesn’t mean that you play all day every day. You have to take those self care breaks.”
Be sure to take breathers from constant political updates, and remember that there are plenty of other ways to still be involved.
“There are so many ways, big and small, for young people to change the world,” Getachew says. “What feels so heavy about this moment is that it feels like the mega-challenge we all need to solve and we all need to solve it tomorrow. That’s not true. There are bite-size, tangible, simple actions young people can take today to get the systemic change they seek.”
So, don’t obsessively follow the memes and the hashtags — and don’t send every piece of election news to your friends who aren’t sure about voting. Just do what you can so that you feel you’re doing your part, and know that no matter how hard you try, it’s ultimately up to your friend to decide if they’re going to vote in the election. Until then, just make sure you’re registered to vote, and hang tight.