How Gen Z votes

As the United State’s 2024 presidential election draws near, many members of Generation Z are preparing to vote for the first time. Former President Donald J. Trump and current Vice President Kamala Harris are the two most popular candidates among Americans of all ages. Still, efforts are potentially being made to appeal to the younger generation. 

This past summer, pop artist Charli XCX released her best-selling album “Brat.” The album pushed themes relating to self-expression and carefree partying, appealing to Gen Z in a world that seems often at odds with itself. The album’s cover featured a lime green background with black text, which was quickly seen in marketing across the United States. 

On July 21, Charli XCX said in a post on the social platform X, “kamala IS brat.”

Harris’s marketing team seized the opportunity to associate the vice president with the album, presenting herself as a candidate that aligns with the culture Gen Z is creating. Soon after, Harris’s campaign team Kamala HQ changed their X banner to lime green, and countless edits were posted to social media featuring Harris and songs from the album. 

“You think you just fell out of a coconut tree? You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you,” Harris said on May 10, 2023 at a ceremony held in the White House. Citing something her mother used to tell her, the quote went viral this summer, prompting many edits and memes with the speech in the background. This further pushed Harris into social media circles populated with Gen Z users. 

Candidates receiving endorsements from popular celebrities may appear substantial in helping them win. However, this may not be the case. 

“It’s possible the endorsement from someone like Taylor Swift may convince a handful of people to vote for Kamala Harris, but it’s extremely unlikely that people are changing their vote in response to an endorsement,” wrote Joshua Ryan, a political science professor at USU in an email to The Utah Statesman. “Having said that, this is an extremely close election, so even changing a few hundred or thousand votes in a few critical states may be important. Because it’s so close, pretty much everything on the margins matters.”

On Sept. 4, Trump posted a video on the app Truth Social, owned by the Trump Media & Technology Group. This is a text-based app similar to X, created by Trump after he felt Facebook and X unfairly treated him. 

“For all of those who want to save TikTok in America, vote for Trump,” Trump said. “We’re not doing anything with TikTok. But the other side is going to close it up.”

According to Wallaroo Media, Gen Z currently comprises 60% of TikTok’s users, implying that they would be heavily impacted if the app were banned in the U.S. In 2020, Trump called for a ban on TikTok due to concerns regarding the security of American users. This change in stance could potentially appeal to voters in the younger generation. 

“I haven’t seen as many viral social media posts from the Trump campaign,” said Sydney Lyman, junior double-majoring in political science and journalism. “What I do know they’ve been doing, which is really interesting, is appealing to young, non-traditional voters through different media platforms and more traditional media, like podcasts.”

Podcasts in the United States have continued to grow in popularity due to their accessibility and the ability to listen to them while doing other things. Their rise in popularity has been aided by younger people, as many creators, such as Emma Chamberlain, who are well known with Gen Z audiences have started their own. 

Theo Von, American comedian and podcaster who has 7 million followers on TikTok, had Trump appear on his podcast on Aug. 17. During this meeting, Trump discussed plans for if he is elected president regarding issues like healthcare and border security. This appearance could have aided Trump in appearing to younger voters.