The 2024 election is a critical opportunity for Gen Z to make our voices heard on issues most pressing to our generation. Gen Z, along with millennials, are projected to make up nearly half of the voting-age population, and eight million new members of Gen Z are eligible to vote in the 2024 election. As the most racially and ethnically diverse generation in history, Gen Z, especially the Black and Latinx Gen Z-ers making up 41% of all Gen Z adults, should take every opportunity to maximize their voting power in the upcoming election. Demanding that politicians address the issues we care about has never been more in reach.
From economic justice to affordable housing to quality health care, the elected officials wielding power on these issues are not just the president, but also a host of state and local officials. Zoning boards, mayors, state legislatures, and county sheriffs, along with a variety of other positions, play important roles in enacting policy changes that directly impact our everyday lives. Yet, these elected positions are often overlooked at the ballot box, as demonstrated by the lower turnout we often see in local and state elections. With many of these offices on the ballot for the 2024 election, Gen Z has the opportunity to elect officials who will use their positions to enact bold and tangible change. Below, we take a deeper dive into the top issues on the minds of Gen Z during this election season and explore how state and local elected officials can directly impact them in the near and distant future.
As a generation coming of age under mounting debt from skyrocketing cost of living, inflation, and higher education, Gen Z is unsurprisingly most concerned about how this upcoming election will impact its economic future. According to a poll from Blueprint, a public opinion research initiative, “inflation” or “jobs and the economy” were the most prioritized issues ahead of Election Day across all racial and gender breakdowns in the 18–24-year-olds group surveyed. It’s understandable why our generation prioritizes economic security when we consider how the economy’s health impacts issues like wages, job security, and the cost of living. While policy solutions proposed by candidates for president and Congress often draw the most national attention, many state and local economic policies directly impact Americans, including members of Gen Z.
From minimum wage increases to workforce development programs to unemployment insurance, state and local governments have the capacity to implement creative and effective economic policies. For example, minimum wage increases are not solely determined by the federal government. State legislatures and municipal governments can also set minimum wage increases over time. Take California for example, where, absent federal action, the state legislature raised the minimum wage to $16 per hour. Compare that to Mississippi, where the state legislature has taken no action to increase the minimum wage from the federal mandate of $7.25 per hour. Additionally, elected state officials can leverage state earned income tax credits to provide extra economic support to low-wage workers to help them afford food, housing, and other necessities.
At the local level, mayors and city council members, all of whom are elected, can allocate funding to create local workforce development programs or pass local worker protection laws to improve unemployment and ensure fair compensation in their communities. These are just a few examples of how state and local officials can take concrete and decisive action on economic issues that Gen Z cares about.
With an increase in cost-burdened renters and diminishing homeownership rates, the prospect of finding — let alone owning — safe and affordable housing near opportunities feels unachievable for most Americans, especially Gen Z. In a 2024 survey by the Bipartisan Policy Center, 74% of respondents across different demographics and political affiliations believed that lack of affordable housing is a significant problem in the United States. A 2024 survey from Redfin found that more than 90% of Gen Z voters identified housing affordability as one of the most important issues to consider when voting for the next president. Although national solutions are often at the forefront of affordable housing policy discussions, state and local solutions can sometimes provide more timely relief.
For example, zoning laws, which determine what types of buildings can be constructed in a given area, are typically under the purview of local elected officials, such as city planning commissions and city councils. In many communities, restrictive zoning laws passed by these local officials prohibit the construction of apartments, which limits the availability of more affordable housing. At the state level, governors and state legislatures have the power to allocate state funding and other incentives to create affordable housing units and to pass tenant-friendly legislation that can prevent unjust evictions and bolster fair housing rights. State and local housing finance agencies, whose leadership is typically appointed by state governors, can also implement subsidy programs to provide below-market mortgage interest rates and offer education programs to increase homeownership, especially for under-resourced communities that have historically encountered unfair barriers to homeownership. With all these public positions either elected or appointed by an elected official, Gen Z has the opportunity to cast their ballots for local and state officials who will prioritize making housing more affordable for everyone.
A third prominent issue for Gen Z, particularly Black young adults, is health care access and affordability. In fact, across most racial, political, educational, and gender groupings that Blueprint polled, health care is consistently one of the top three concerns for Gen Z members. Notably, access to safe and legal abortion continues to be central to health care discussions among Gen Z, especially women.
As a result, many Gen Z-ers are concerned about how the next presidential administration will approach health care funding, including funding for abortion services, contraception, and other forms or reproductive health care. The executive branch of the federal government, namely the president, can either sign into law or veto legislation passed by Congress. Additionally, justices in the United States Supreme Court, who are nominated for lifetime appointments by the president and confirmed by the Senate, can decide cases that have major implications for health care. In fact, the Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization stripped individuals of their federal constitutional right to abortion access by overturning Roe v. Wade, which had been established law for almost half a century.
It’s not just the federal government, however, that determines health care access and limitations. In fact, for those Gen Z-ers voting in Montana, South Dakota, Nevada, Colorado, Nebraska, Arizona, Missouri, Maryland, New York and Florida, there are ballot measures — proposed laws that voters can vote for or against on statewide or municipal ballots — that will add state constitutional protections for abortion rights. If you live in one of these states, you can use this link to read more about your state’s ballot measure.
Additionally, public officials at all levels of government — whether it be federal, state, or local leaders — can enact policies that expand access to health care and advance reproductive justice. For example, in 2023, Nevada governor Joe Lombardo signed a law protecting the rights of out-of-state abortion patients and in-state abortion providers. In another example, Minnesota’s MinnesotaCare program, which was initially created in 1992, provides low-cost health care coverage to uninsured workers in Minnesota living below the poverty line. It has been expanded to cover more Minnesotans over the past three decades, most recently in 2023.
As the incoming adult generation, members of Gen Z may feel a responsibility to protect the future of our democracy. Casting a ballot in this election season is a critical step in making a lasting impact on our country. You can see what state and local races are on your ballot here, as well as learn more about how your state and local officials can impact your community by using LDF’s Guide to Local Elections. Before casting your ballot, you can even go online to see what policies have been supported — or opposed — by candidates to get a better understanding of the issues at stake in this election season. In the words of Thurgood Marshall, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF)’s founder and the first Black justice to serve on the United States Supreme Court, “This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on.” With every level of government serving a critical function in our democracy, Gen Z must think about races up and down the ballot to truly make, protect, and ultimately pass on our democracy.
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