Leading up to the 2024 election, Alachua County came alive with political action. From canvassers knocking on doors to registers in Turlington Plaza, there was a nationwide focus on getting people to the polls. However, one topic of contention this election has been where Generation Z fits into the political narrative.
Gen Z is the term attributed to individuals born between 1997 and 2012. For many members of this demographic, the Nov. 5 general election was the first presidential race they were able to vote in.
In anticipation of Election Day, political analysts debated whether Gen Z could tip the partisan scales. Both major parties have spent significant time this cycle appealing to the newest generation of voters, from Vice President Kamala Harris’ “brat” campaign to President-elect Donald Trump’s many podcast appearances.
Despite not having an official turnout number, some trends have begun to emerge among the newest demographic of voters.
Decrease in voter turnout
During the 2024 general election cycle, Alachua County saw an 84% voter turnout with nearly 140,000 ballots cast. Turnout was about 75% in 2020, though there was a larger number of eligible voters during that cycle.
Historically, ages 18-29 have had the lowest voter turnout among all voting blocs. It was estimated that just 42% of young voters cast a ballot this election cycle, compared to a turnout of about 53% in 2020, according to CIRCLE at Tufts University.
Especially after recent elections, many young voters are disappointed with their current political candidates, said Isaac Guzman, a 19-year-old UF biology sophomore. The people in power often do not align with the beliefs of younger generations, he said, and he believes this could be linked with voter apathy in his generation.
Registered as a no-party affiliate, Guzman said he voted for Harris because of his identity as a queer transgender man. Even though Guzman leans left, he said he still does not feel his values were reflected by either major party.
“I do surround myself with predominantly queer people who…are from science fields, too,” he said. “They're also upset.”
Youth voter apathy could be linked to an age divide between baby boomers who are running for office being disconnected from the wants of young people, UF associate psychology professor Colin Smith said.
“There's sort of ‘chicken and an egg’ problem,” he said. “If young people would vote at the same rates that all people do, politicians would start paying attention to young people. But because young people aren't voting, politicians can continue to ignore them.”
Polarization
Smith, who specializes in political psychology, said people are most susceptible to partisanship between ages 18 and 22. Whatever party someone chooses at a young age is the party they will most likely claim further into adulthood, Smith said.
Formative opinions surrounding political values can come from a vast array of places, including family, friends and social media influence. Partisanship can often become essential to a person’s identity and everyday life, Smith said.
Referred to in the political psychology community as “affective polarization,” partisanship ties can color social relationships. It's not just that Democrats and Republicans vote differently, Smith said, but they create their own social spheres.
While effective polarization can drive more people to the polls, it can also create a problem of contributing to societal divides. People with these deep partisan ties may move into communities that support only their values, Smith said, or only pay attention to news that supports their existing opinions.
“[Partisans] think that the other team… is less intelligent, is less likable, is less trustworthy, is less capable,” Smith added. “People like their own group more and dislike the out-group more.”
Gen Z has taken the fire in politics and transformed it into anger, said Taylor Murphy, a 22-year-old UF political science and sustainability senior. Murphy said the increase in social media access has led to algorithms becoming increasingly polarized.
During the 2024 election cycle, Murphy worked as a field organizer for the Alachua County Democratic Party and said she saw firsthand how people within her generation have contributed to a hyper-polarized environment.
Murphy said she often posts political content on her Instagram story and posted that she voted for Harris. A former friend from middle school swiped up on the story, she said, and Murphy responded with a short blurb about her political affiliation and included some election resources.
“He responded and told me that he hopes the hurricane kills me, because the Harris campaign, their plan is to destroy Florida through the hurricanes,” she said. “It was a very interesting conversation because it started as me…trying to educate…then it turned into, ‘I hope you die.’”
Before the Trump era, Murphy said, politics did not define a person’s identity. However, Murphy believes partisanship has begun infiltrating all aspects of life in America.
However, not all members of Gen Z agree hateful rhetoric is rooted in the Trump era. Craig Anderson, a 26-year-old Gainesville resident and registered Republican, said the “establishment corruption” of the Obama and Biden administrations is what has pushed hate.
Anyone who believes that the Trump administration is responsible for pushing a hateful narrative is “conflating non-issues,” Anderson said, and doesn't see the relevance of the daily struggles of Americans.
“I definitely don't think it's [hateful rhetoric] as strong in the Republican Party,” he said. “I see conservative Republicans as wanting to live their lives independently, but continue to get kicked in the teeth by the radical left.”
Despite having strong partisan convictions, Anderson said he is willing to and does have friends on the other side of the ideological aisle. However, he said he would draw the line at a romantic relationship with someone of a different political affiliation.
According to a study released in 2020 by the Institute for Family Studies, cross-party marriages are relatively rare, with 79% of marriages happening between partners with the same party identification.
Since Trump’s first term, these cross-party marriages have become even less common. After Trump won the 2016 election, one in 10 Americans ended their romantic relationship due to political ideological differences, according to Wakefield Research.
Shifting demographics
One trend that exists in all voting blocs is the presence of a gender gap, UF political science professor Michael Martinez said.
In the 2024 election, there was a distinct shift among people ages 18-29 towards Trump, especially in men. Fifty-six percent of young men were in favor of the former President in 2024, compared to only 41% in 2020. While the majority of young women did favor Harris in this election, there was a decrease from 65% in 2020 to 58% in 2024.
One trend common among younger generations is a greater identification with left-leaning
policies, Martinez said, and it appears that Gen Z is also following this pattern. In 2024, 66% of voters aged 18-24 aligned more with the Democratic party, according to the Pew Research Center. Especially in Gen Z, voters tend to be persuaded more by specific issues like climate change, Martinez said.
However, there has been an increase in registrations for third parties or NPAs, especially among young voters.
“Younger people are less likely to have a major party identification than older people,” said Martinez. “They are more receptive to third-party messages because they haven't developed the party identification as a Republican or a Democrat yet.”
Although registered as a Democrat, Aronl Ali-McClory, a 21-year-old UF political science and anthropology senior, said the current Democratic Party no longer aligns with their views. When they walked into the polling booth on Election Day, Ali-McClory said they left the spot for president blank.
As the national co-chair of the Young Democratic Socialists of America, Ali-McClory said they witnessed firsthand how young people during the 2024 election were fed up with the two-party system. When people are angry with the two major candidates, Ali-McClory said, voter apathy persists.
“Our country is being polarized by a fascism that is aggressively trying to assert its dominance over this country, a liberalism that's willing to do nothing about it, and a sea of third options that people don't have a lot of faith in,” they said.
Contact Morgan Vanderlaan at mvanderlaan@alligator.org. Follow her on X @morgvande
Morgan Vanderlaan is a second year Political Science major and the Fall 2024 Politics Enterprise Reporter. When she's not on the clock she can be found writing, reciting, and watching theatre!
