Experts are skeptical about young voters’ political engagement, uncertain that many will show up to the polls this fall for either Vice President Kamala Harris or former president Donald Trump. The numbers are grim, with only 53% of 18 to 29-year-olds “definitely” planning to vote in November, compared to a historical voting average of nearly 70% for baby boomers. Most political campaigns will tell you that while younger voters are important, they are unreliable. As a result, campaigns will concentrate energy on older, repeat voters with deeper pockets.
However, in the days following President Joe Biden’s exit from the presidential race and his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, younger voters have made their presence known. Not only did Harris open up a 20-point advantage among voters 18–34 years old in a head-to-head polling matchup with former President Trump after launching her Charli XCX Brat-styled campaign but Vote.org also reported more than 100,000 voter registrations, 84% of those under the age of 34. The early stage of the Harris campaign was also marked by historic fundraising: In the first seven days alone, the Harris campaign raised $200 million, with 66% of its contributions coming from first-time donors.
