By Edward Henderson, California Black Media
(CBM) – As America elects a new President this week — and a slate of new elected officials at the local and state level — the voices of young voters in California are resounding as political campaigns and policy makers order their priorities and shape their messages to include their perspectives and respond to their concerns.
But what are those issues on the minds of the next generation of California’s electorate in 2024?
Power California, an organization that informs and empowers young voters, and Latino Decisions, a political research company, set out to answer this question in their Rising Electorate Survey, whose findings were released earlier this fall.
The survey polled 1,754 young Californians ages 18-30 on the issues they cared about the most. While many of the findings showed a growing stress and uncertainty surrounding rent control, housing, better wages and special interest groups being too involved in government, nearly half of the young Californians surveyed believed things will get better in the future.
“For us, there are several things we know and several things that we can expect in the next four years, including that young Californians, Gen Zs, and aging millennials will become the largest political voting bloc here in California,” said Saa’un Bell, Senior Associate Director of Power California.”
Among responders to the survey, 35% were Latino or Hispanic, 25% Black, 20% Asian American and Pacific Islander, 16% were White, non-Hispanic. There were about 4% identifying with some other racial groups, which includes those who identify as Indigenous. In terms of geography, 28% of the participants surveyed came from Los Angeles County, followed by 16% from the Bay Area, 16% from the Central Valley. And the remainder of the sample, which was roughly 40%, came from other parts of the state.
Economic pressures were one of the areas covered in the survey. One in 4 young Californians have thought about leaving the state, taken on a second job or postponed bills. One in 5 is supporting friends and family or had to choose between rent and paying their bills. For young Black and Latino Californians, the impacts of economic insecurity were more significant. Young Black and Latino Californians are more likely to have a second job or report postponing bills and 1 in 5 young Black Californians have moved back home with family.
Kaja Wilson, a youth member of Power California living in Fresno, spoke during a digital webinar organized by the organization. She shared her perspective on the priorities of young voters in the state.
“Young people are still having a hard time seeing ourselves reach milestones like home ownership, savings, investments, and personal development, all the while we deal with the burden of debt, including student loans. Over the last year at Power California, I’ve seen the potential of young people to show our power. We’ve been working on a rent control campaign. I’ve been activated to get the Fresno community members to take action on local issues. It’s possible to create a better and affordable future for me and my community, and a world that’s easier for us all to navigate.”
Dr. Andrew Proctor, Senior Analyst for Latino Decisions, was one of the leads facilitating the young voter survey and shared his analysis of the data collected during the Power California webinar.
“Many young Californians blame low wages, elected officials, and corporate landlords for the housing crisis. Things are so bad that one in four young Californians have considered leaving the state. Young Californians are also motivated by their experiences with economic insecurity as well as their commitments to social justice causes. Economic concerns, including inflation and housing, are top issues that they want the government to address, and those issues are motivating their decision to turn out and vote in 2024.”
The survey also found strong support for rent control laws and addressing climate change. Reproductive rights and gun control are also salient issues for young Californians, and they are active participants in several movements for social justice. However, individuals taking the survey also shared their belief that organizations and political parties are not reaching out and engaging the full potential of young Californians.
“There are many narratives that young people, young voters, are apathetic, pessimistic, and cynical. Those narratives are out of context – and not true,” said Bell.
