Gen-Z Shifts the Tide to Halt Midterm and the Red Wave

Gen Z’s high voter turnout thwarted the midterm “red wave.” Credit: Photo by Cottonbro Studio via Pexels

This past midterm elections, Generation Z sustained record-breaking voter turnout and drove Democratic resistance that held off a predicted “red wave” from washing ashore. Voters under the age of 29 broke overwhelmingly for Democrats and helped defy historic trends and widespread predictions of a Republican sweep.

In the weeks leading up to the midterms, the dominant media narrative echoed that the Democrats were poised for a midterm shellacking, given record-high inflation, low presidential approval numbers and historic election patterns. When the red wave narrative fell apart on election night, many pointed to young voters—especially young women—who turned out in near-record numbers to block Republican gains. 

According to the U.S. General Exit Polls, Gen Z voters notably favored Democrats this election cycle, breaking for Democratic candidates by a stunning 28-point margin. About 1 in 8 midterm voters were under 30.

Early analyses indicate that Gen Z had issues of reproductive rights, gun violence and climate change top-of-mind when casting their ballots this midterm. In the wake of this summer’s Supreme Court reversal of federal abortion protections, fears about future access to abortion drove the young coalition of voters to support pro-choice candidates.

As more members of Gen Z aged into the electorate this cycle, some made history by becoming the first of the youth bloc to be elected to Congress and state houses. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, 25, became the first Gen Z member of Congress after winning in Florida’s 10th district. Joe Vogel, 25, won his bid for Maryland’s state assembly. Nabeela Syed, 23, was elected as Illinois’s first South Asian woman and youngest person to serve in the state legislature. 

A former March for Our Lives National Organizing Director and gun control activist, Frost’s victory marked a major win for young progressives seeking a national voice on the issue of gun violence in schools. After the election was called, Frost tweeted that “history was made [...] for Gen Z, and for everyone who believes we deserve a better future."

For Vogel, he refused to accept corporate campaign contributions and mobilized voters through a campaign focused on ending gun violence, addressing climate change and other issues facing young Americans, like housing and transportation. In an interview with the Washington Post, he said he won because he “stayed focused on what really mattered, which was listening to people and really connecting with people.”

When it came to turnout of Gen Z voters, early numbers from Tufts’ Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement suggest that “27% of people between the ages of 18 and 29 cast ballots Nov. 8, the second-highest youth midterms turnout in 30 years.” The highest was in 2018.

This isn’t the first time Gen Z brought their A-game to the polls. According to TIME magazine,  “Gen Z-ers increased their raw vote total in the 2020 election by 289% since the 2016 election, when they first aged into the electorate.” 

Further—although the midterm elections typically have diminished voter turnout—early reports indicate there was a 38% voting registration growth from Gen Z for this midterm elections, Al Jazeera reported. 

“This all goes to show one central point: When young people’s rights are on the ballot and championed by the candidate, they show up,” said TIME.