With November around the corner, it seems like every American has either willingly (or unwillingly) been tuned into the spectacle of the 2024 election. There’s a general sense of urgency amongst politicians and citizens alike, with the race feeling a lot more significant than last.

For young people entering their first or second election cycle, it can be easy to miss the hard work being done to address the day-to-day issues Americans are facing when its opposite is dominating the media. The importance of optimism in young voters is not something that can be understated, arguably, because their support is some of the most needed.

[This story originally appeared in Love Now Media.]

Understanding the “Gen Z vote”

Although often written off as the overly “woke” and “lazy” generation, Gen Z’s vote became one of the most important to earn after the 2020 election. Our vote played an essential part in the original success of the Biden campaign, with young people everywhere rallying everyone to get out and vote blue. According to Gen-Z for Change, the youth-led TikTok for Biden’s account amassed a combined 13,000,000 likes in just a week during the fall of 2020.

In the end, Americans aged 18 to 29 made up about one-sixth of 2020 voters, with Biden leading that demographic by more than 20 points. Biden’s progressive response to handling things like the Covid pandemic and social movements like Black Lives Matter were seemingly catalysts for this support.

In 2024, as a result of Biden’s win, it seems former President Donald Trump has sought out social media personalities to gather similar support from the Gen Z demographic. By appearing on Kick streamer Adin Ross’s channel and inviting TikTok star Bryce Hall on stage with him, Trump is attempting to attract the vote that previously cost him his presidency.

If the presidential election is a family holiday, then local elections are Sunday cleaning: No way you’ll be fit for guests if you don’t put in the work year round or let the “little things” build up.

Unfortunately, for politicians like Trump, there’s not much room for political jargon or familiar faces in gaining the vote of young people. Instead, Gen Z is looking for a blunt and honest address of the issues that matter to them. Despite their early support of President Biden, there’s now a general dissatisfaction regarding his time in office, with 76 percent of Gen Z voters expressing their disapproval as of May 2024.

As we gear up for the 2024 election, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump are tasked with convincing the American people that they can offer something different for the next four years (despite the public already knowing how life looks under the leadership of both). In order to enter office, it’s clear that they’ll have to offer something different to America’s youth.

Issues over Parties

In the summer of 2024, Love Now Media conducted a series of interviews with Gen Z voters here in Philadelphia to gauge the matters that are top of mind. Based on those conversations, young voters in Philly want to see solutions to drug use, homelessness, gun violence, and education. In our research on national trends, we found that one of the biggest concerns amongst young voters was also gun violence. When the Love Now Media team asked what he’d like to see change in Philly, Bashir put it simply: “Obviously, it sounds cliche, but I feel like it’s the gun violence that’s the major [problem].”

Considering the influx of gun violence around the country — with more than fifty school shooting incidents in America this year — one might believe that things aren’t being done to address gun violence. This isn’t entirely true, though.To counteract the disappointment, local officials in Philadelphia are putting in the work to address the violence.

Rep. G. Roni Green of District 190, who is up for election this year, has worked exceptionally hard to address gun violence in Allegheny West. Rep. Green has consistently voted in favor of protection orders, universal background checks, and regulated firearm possession. The District Attorney of Philadelphia, an elected official, has awarded almost $4 million in grants to anti-violence groups in and around Philly that are working to address the root causes of gun violence. When asked about a solution she’d like to see, interviewee Kayla stated, “I feel like if we had more engagement in the community, like things people could do, they’ll change their mind [about] getting guns and do something else with their time.”

As of September 30, 2024, gun violence in Philadelphia is down 40 percent from 2023. Though this is an encouraging statistic, the relationship between violent crime and poverty is a strong one. The address of the two cannot be mutually exclusive and consequently cost of living is consistently a common concern amongst young voters.

With over 20 percent of Philadelphia’s families living below the poverty line, the city holds the title for “America’s poorest big city.” The title implies a sort of careless culpability, one perpetrated by the media and internalized by citizens. Sonrisa, whom we spoke to this summer, shared that “if people have a basic standard of living, that’s supported monetarily by the government, we could actually kind of realize our best selves. It’s just hard to maintain that, it shouldn’t be, though.There’s enough to go around.”

Our reputation gets to people — even I can admit that when my aunt lovingly refers to my hometown as “Filthydelphia,” I get a little queasy. These bad news and scary statistics deter people from participating in elections, especially when they are made to feel that their experiences aren’t a priority to the running candidates.

For first-time voters, it is easy to be caught in the slew of media hoping to convince you that all bets are to be placed on the presidential election. Though this might seem effective in getting people to vote, if voters don’t see themselves well represented, then it’s easy to feel like hope is lost. But it’s not.

In 2023, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted 103-100 in favor of a bill to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $15. The bill did not pass the Pennsylvania State Senate, but several of those senate seats are up for election in 2024. Meanwhile, Senator Bob Casey is the most outspoken Democrat in the Senate addressing what he calls “greedflation.” Casey authored four reports on the issue, and invited Pennsylvanians to testify in the National House of Representatives on the effect that corporate greed has had on their lives and families.