I’m old, but I get it. I get the lack of enthusiasm by younger voters. I have three children in their 20s, and they can’t get excited for this election between two really old guys.
Of course, most of us know the dire consequences of this election, but how do we influence the younger voters who are wavering on if they will even show up at the polls? Even the Biden campaign website doesn’t seem to have a youth voter page. Hey DNC, do you?
We need a bullet list meme image, basically 5-ish talking points, along with wide social media sharing. What are those items?
- Abortion? This has been a strong factor in the mid-terms, but can we bring it home in a general election where it’s not specifically on the ballot?
- Contraception? Can we give really good examples of where the GOP is restricting or trying to? Obviously, young women will care. But can we let young men know that women may be less willing to consent to sex if contraceptives are more difficult or impossible to obtain?
- Can we highlight Missouri, where it’s illegal for a pregnant woman to even divorce a man until after the pregnancy? Via the Associated Press: apnews.com/…
- IVF. We know the GOP is not pro-life, so how do we say it in one sentence, with an example? (Alabama, yes, but make it national- yes, the current bill in the House, but don’t get boring or technical.)
- Student loans / Economy / Everything else: The economy is kicking ass right now, but people don’t think they feel it. How do we remind them of how bad it was economically in the last year of Trump? And bad for democracy and people of any non-Trump ancestry during all of Trump’s term? Biden would push legislation to forgive pretty much all student loans if he had a Dem House and keeps the Senate. Biden would also encourage laws protecting POCs, women, children, the social fabric of America. I know he gets a bad rap on the Israeli-Palestinian war, but he’s getting more assertive. And he’s already the most assertive on this than any president since Clinton. And Trump would just stay out of it, and many more civilians would die. Ukraine? That’s an obvious fight for democracy, and Biden and Trump are clearly on separate sides when it comes to supporting democracy. And I don’t think young voters connect with that foreign war anymore, except in general contexts. (And yes, I wholeheartedly support Ukraine and more funding for them from the U.S. and my taxes — or from the removal of some corporate tax loopholes.)
Yes, Joe Biden is mostly boring and old. And yeah, Trump is old too. I love old and boring, compared to old and insurrectionist dictator!
How do we get the younger voters to actually show up?