This week on The Brief, hosts Markos Moulitsas and Kerry Eleveld chatted all things midterms as we are now only mere weeks out from the election. They welcomed Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez of NextGen onto the show to talk about organizing the youth vote, and key issues at stake at the ballot box this November and beyond.
What issues are getting young people fired up? According to Ramirez, student debt relief and abortion remain among the most pressing issues for young people that Democrats need to take heed of and take action on. She noted that so many more people are focused on the election now, and young voters in particular—more than 3 out of 4— are opposed to overturning Roe v. Wade.
Stopping Republicans at the ballot box this fall could protect the further erosion of our rights down the road. “Abortion was just an opening salvo — they’re coming for contraception, they’re coming for the rights of the LGBTQ community,” Ramirez added.
Democrats still need to improve how they talk about their victories so that they resonate more with voters, she argued, because they are collecting wins but not enough people seem know about them.
The trio also discussed the role of student debt relief in positively impacting young people’s lives, especially people of color who have been struggling with student loans. Ramirez noted that the student debt cancellation wiped out student debt for half of Latinos who had taken out student loans. It also boosted young people’s support of Biden.
Exciting things have been delivered to the electorate this year, Eleveld said, and she urged that we can do even more—especially if we can hold the Senate and the House next month.
Watch the full interview with Ramirez here: