Isabelle Morris
Isabella Morris says it's hard to make ends meet as a young family
The U.S. presidential election is just weeks away, and one key voting bloc is getting a lot of attention from both parties: young voters. But it's economic issues — from inflation to housing — that could push them to the polls.
This is Isabella Morris' first presidential run, and the 21-year-old mother from Rosenberg, Texas, said she's been listening carefully to what both candidates have to say.
Recently married with a two-year-old child, Isabella works part-time to supplement her husband's full-time income. She stays home with her child while her family rents a small one-bedroom apartment.
The plan seemed solid – two incomes, no mortgage or child care costs – but it's not enough.
“Our debts are repaid, but we cannot afford any mistakes. We have no savings, nothing. In the past, one job was enough to live on, even with a minimum wage. Now it feels like we’re barely getting by,” she said.
Economic fears about her future will push her to vote in November, but when she spoke to the BBC she was still unsure which candidate she would support.
“As this election approaches, we can't imagine any candidate not addressing the economic crisis right now,” she said.
Isabella is one of the 8 million young people who will vote for the first time in a presidential election. Representing about a third of the U.S. electorate, voters under 35 are contested by both parties, and polls show the economy is their top priority this election season.
Although reproductive rights, the war in Gaza, and gun violence have dominated the headlines when it comes to young voters' political priorities, 18- to 26-year-olds view economic growth, income inequality, and poverty as the top priorities. most important issues facing the country, according to a Gen Forward survey conducted by the University of Chicago and released in September.
That contrasts with the 2020 election, where Covid-19, racism and health care overtook the economy as the top issue driving young voters to the polls, according to the same survey.
“The situation has deteriorated”
Isabella's concerns reflect the broader challenges facing young voters, who are entering a world of high rents, unaffordable housing and slowing job creation – not to mention a once-in-a-lifetime price hike generation, according to TikToker economist Kyla Scanlon.
Last month, the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates for the first time in more than four years, a move that could lead to lower borrowing costs on mortgages, credit cards and mortgage rates. savings for millions of people. But it remains to be seen whether changing interest rates will change people's perceptions of the economy.
“The overall situation has gotten worse,” Ms Scanlon, 27, told the BBC, pointing out that the situation for today's young people is worse than that of previous generations – even millennials who have entered the market labor after the 2008 financial crisis.
A member of Generation Z herself, Scanlon often turns to TikTok, where she has more than 180,000 followers, to raise economic awareness among young people.
Allow TikTok content? This article contains content provided by TikTok. We ask for your permission before uploading anything, as they may use cookies and other technologies. You may want to read and before agreeing. To view this content, choose “accept and continue”.
Accept and continue
People ages 22 to 24 have more debt of all kinds — credit cards, car loans and mortgages — than millennials of the same age, credit agency TransUnion found. And their debt is growing faster than their income.
“There's no beginner mode anymore – the bottom rung of the ladder seems completely gone, I think, for most of the generation,” Ms Scanlon said.
And these fears of being left behind could push voters to go to the polls, experts say.
Abby Kiesa, deputy director of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (Circle), told the BBC that she expects about half of young voters to participate in this election – a proportion similar to that of 2020, which saw the highest turnout in 2020. decades and an increase of 11% compared to the 2016 presidential election.
Meanwhile, the 2018 midterm elections saw record turnout among young voters, according to Circle.
This is still well below the participation of other age groups. In 2020, 69% of eligible Americans ages 35 to 64 voted, while 74% of voters over 65 turned out to vote, according to the U.S. Census. But in an election that will be won by a razor's edge, being able to rally a significant percentage of new voters could help give a candidate the boost they need to win.
Ms Kiesa said a focus on addressing economic hardship will be key if politicians hope to increase participation among Generation Z who feel disconnected from politics.
“Over the last three elections, the turnout of young voters has been historic,” she said. “We need candidates who understand them, engage and talk with them. This is what needs to change.
Will dollars and cents win votes?
The two presidential candidates – Trump and Harris – have both refined their economic messages in recent weeks and stepped up their efforts to appeal to young voters.
Harris expanded on the Biden administration's economic initiatives regarding student loan forgiveness, consumer prices and housing affordability. It proposes a $25,000 grant for first-time home buyers and a $6,000 tax credit for families with newborns.
His campaign doubled his youth organizing staff and invested heavily in digital ads. She has enjoyed support from A-list celebrities including Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish, and gained momentum by adopting viral memes about the vice president on social media. Harris also spent the last year visiting college campuses in key battleground states.
Meanwhile, Trump has sought to capitalize on young people's economic discontent, attacking Harris and Biden's economic record and highlighting falling product prices under his administration. He and Harris promised to eliminate taxation of tipping – a measure aimed at the service sector, which employs millions of young people – and pledged to end regulatory barriers on cryptocurrency.
The former president has also tried to reach younger voters through social media, podcasts and partnerships with influencers. He's posted TikToks with influencers like Logan Paul and Adin Ross.
Polls showed Trump making inroads among younger voters as he ran against 81-year-old Biden. When Biden was still in the race, he led Trump by just a few percentage points, and the GenForward survey showed that young people thought Trump was handling the economy better. than the Biden administration.
But the momentum went to the much younger Harris.
She now holds a 31-point lead over Trump among likely voters aged 18 to 29, according to a Harvard Institute of Politics poll released in late September.
“We need representation”
Economic hardship not only pushes people to vote, it pushes some young people to run for office themselves.
Gabriel Sanchez, 27, a Democratic candidate for the Georgia state legislature, said he is running for office to try to ease the financial pressure on his generation.
As a waiter at a sports bar, he said rent increases forced him to move several times. He worries that essentials like stable housing are becoming a privilege for many young Americans.
“Most of us are not able to own a home, pay for health care, or buy the basic things we need,” Sanchez said in a TikTok posted to his campaign account.
In May, Sanchez and three other young candidates swept to victory in Georgia's Democratic primary election, a result dubbed Atlanta's Gen Z party.
Allow TikTok content? This article contains content provided by TikTok. We ask for your permission before uploading anything, as they may use cookies and other technologies. You may want to read and before agreeing. To view this content, choose “accept and continue”.
Accept and continue
Sanchez said he believes his economic struggles have resonated with voters.
“We work hard but we don’t see any reward. This economy is not working for us,” Sanchez said. “We need representation, candidates who understand what young people are going through.”
But the Democrats are not the only ones attracting young candidates.
Wyatt Gable, 21, a senior at East Carolina University, won the Republican primary for the North Carolina House of Representatives. He defeated 85-year-old 10-term incumbent George Cleveland.
If elected in November, Gable will become the youngest person to hold a seat in the state Legislature.
As he prepares for the November vote, he said he expects the economy to be top of mind for young people in this year's election.
“My generation feels it. Given the severity of inflation and skyrocketing interest rates, this is going to be the most important thing on young people's minds when they go to the polls,” he said .
North American correspondent Anthony Zurcher makes sense of the race for the White House in his biweekly newsletter US Election Unspun. UK readers can subscribe here. Those outside the UK can register here.
