There would be no Biden-Harris victory without young voters, and specifically young voters of color. On January 20, 2021, when President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris are sworn in, the young voters who elected them will continue the fight for a big, bold policy agenda. It is crucial that those demands are centered by the new Administration. Our latest poll with Civiqs of young progressive voters in battleground states shows just what that bold future looks like.
Fifty-one percent of these young voters report that the most important issue for the Biden Administration to address is the coronavirus pandemic, which has been a top issue for nearly all of our pre-election monthly tracking polls. When asked which policy would be most important for the Biden Administration to implement on day one, young voters said rent payments should be cancelled during the pandemic. This is most important for young Black voters. The coronavirus has had devastating health and economic effects on young people and our families, and we are eager for a new president to take aggressive action.
In the first 100 days, the top priority for the young voters who elected Biden and Harris is to end migrant separation at the border and reunite families. That demand is closely followed by increasing taxes on the rich, cancelling rent payments during the pandemic, ending gerrymandering, and cancelling student loan debt.
Finally, while the 2020 general election may be over, young people will continue to build power in their communities. As Alliance network organizations demonstrate every day, the work is powerful because it’s year-round. Fifty-one percent of young voters polled say they are extremely motivated to be involved in civic engagement and politics in 2021. Young voters are also looking for political parties to better reflect their values with 44% reporting they are interested in alternative options to the two-party structure.
Explore the full poll results including Biden’s campaign outreach, how young voters changed their voting behavior to ensure their vote was counted, and more here. Then, share the results on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Generation Z and Millennials will continue to be the biggest voting bloc for years to come. They are more than the margin of electoral victory, but rather the base mobilizing for the issues we care about most. The Biden Administration and the Democratic Party must show that they are willing to bring the issues young people care about to the table and have robust plans for how to address them.