Young Voters are Disillusioned with the U.S. Election System. Reform Can Help. 

The Topline: Young voters in the U.S. are passionate about solving the country’s most pressing problems and want to be involved in politics, but they are frustrated with the lack of adequate candidate options. They also tend to be more independent because they don’t fully identify with either major party. Election reform can help energize young voters and increase their participation rates by giving them better candidate choices and a greater voice in elections, even if they don’t align with a party. 

Young voters are unsatisfied with the candidate options

Many young voters across various political ideologies have a sense of fatalism and believe that the U.S.’ fractured, dysfunctional government system is incapable of addressing critical challenges facing their generation. Young people are so disillusioned that many could opt out of political engagement altogether. 

Prior to President Joe Biden dropping out of the 2024 presidential race, young voters were disappointed with both major party candidates. A US News poll showed that 49% of young adults said they were still deciding whom to vote for or could be easily convinced to change their mind. When asked about the most notable accomplishments of President Biden or former President Donald Trump, their most common answer was nothing.

Now that Biden has dropped out of the race, young voters are slightly more excited and feel that Kamala Harris has done a better job appealing to people their age. However, despite the fact that Harris is better at engaging with young voters, many are still having doubts about her ability to take on the role of president. For instance, a poll by Politico found that 48% of voters feel as though she isn’t a strong leader and that they don’t see or hear enough from her.  

Young voters are more independent and issue-based voters

Younger voters are rejecting political parties, which can be seen as a rebellion against the age of extreme partisanship. 52% of Millennials and Gen Z are independent, compared with only one-third of Baby Boomers. 

Young people are issue voters and have diverse issue priorities. John Della Volpe, director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, explains that Gen-Z has grown up with major anxiety-inducing events which have impacted the way they feel about politics. Many people in Gen Z were born around 9/11, experienced lockdown drills in school, and faced social isolation during COVID-19, all of which was accelerated by social media. As younger people make voting a regular habit, they vote based on the values they are developing throughout their adolescence. 

The main issues driving young people to the polls are their concerns about the way capitalism is practiced, the climate, and racial justice. They care about tackling these issues, but are angered by the fact that politicians aren’t responding to their needs. The Harvard Youth Poll for Spring 2024 found that nearly three in five (58%) young Americans believe that the country is "off on the wrong track," and only 9% say that things in the nation are "generally headed in the right direction." 

Reform would benefit young voters, and young voters support it

Nonpartisan primaries and instant runoffs will address young voters' qualms with the current election system. Gen Z and Millennials are on the way to making up the largest part of the electorate, and they have the potential to have a major impact on elections if they are motivated enough to vote. 

Yet, Gen Z and Millenials recently polled as the least likely age groups to vote in the 2024 general election. Respondents who do not think they will vote said it was because they feel like their vote doesn’t matter, they don’t like any of the candidates, and the candidates do not represent their political beliefs and ideas. 

Implementing Final Four Voting (FFV) – which combines the use of nonpartisan primary elections with instant runoffs in the general election – presents a viable solution to address young voters’ demand for better choices and a more impactful voice in elections. Under FFV, all candidates run on the same primary ballot and the four candidates who get the most votes advance to the general election. In the general election, voters rank the candidates, and, if necessary, an instant runoff is conducted to ensure there is majority support for the winner. 

This system gives voters more choices in the general election, and many races can have more than one candidate from each major party. It also increases the possibility of having independent candidates and alternative party candidates. FFV prevents the spoiler effect, in which vote splitting leads to a winner who doesn’t represent the majority of voters. The use of instant runoffs allows voters to choose their favorite candidate without the fear of “wasting” their vote or helping a candidate they don’t like win. And with more choices available, they won’t feel like they have to choose the lesser of two evils. 

Young voters are some of the strongest supporters of instant runoffs, with more than two-thirds (68%) supporting a move to IRV for federal elections. Young voters have made it clear that they want candidates that actually represent their values, and reform can help accomplish that.