How Some Beer Drinkers Roll
Dear Leading Ladies,
We have good news and bad news.
Bad news first.
We did not register one voter during our afternoon at Night Shift Brewery last Sunday.
Not one out of the more than 100 people who were there.
The good news.
Of the 20 people we spoke to — all Millennials or Gen Zers between the ages of 23 and 41 and more than willing to answer our questions — only one is not registered and that is because he is not yet a citizen. Our sample of 20 is not, we recognize, representative of all young voters in the country, or even the state. All have at least some college (2) or an associate degree (3), while most have a bachelor’s degree (9), and some have advanced degrees (6). They all identify as either liberal, progressive, or moderate/progressive. They all intend to vote in the upcoming primary and November elections and reported that they are consistent voters with friends they believe vote regularly also.
Like we said, not a random sample of young American voters.
What we learned
As encouraging and heartening as this information was, we found answers to other questions both baffling and disappointing. Not one of the people we interviewed is involved in working for any candidate or issue or donating to any campaign. Just four say they give to organizations such as Planned Parenthood and other women’s reproductive health organizations, animal rescue agencies, climate protection groups, or Project Bread.
One 29-year-old woman who calls herself a progressive said she doesn’t “pay attention to news and politics. I know who I don’t want to win. I get my news from him [pointing to her partner] and from my brother.” Another 28-year-old gay man sitting next to his husband said there was not any issue of particular concern to him in the upcoming election. He also calls himself a progressive and is the co-chair of the diversity network at his property management office.
A few with intense concerns
Only a few of the people interviewed were heatedly vocal about the upcoming elections. A 31-year-old progressive man said, “I wish there were stronger options to choose from to make meaningful change instead of propagating the current system that doesn’t really work.”
A 31-year-old Black woman who owns her own business stated, “I’m pissed off and scared as hell. Everything is going off the rails…It’s not going to be a good time…Everyone needs to be involved. It’s scary, but we still have an opportunity to effect change. The idea that it’s already lost is not the right idea.” She, too, however, is not donating to any candidate or working for any campaign. A 40-year-old male architect says the biggest issue in the upcoming election is Donald Trump and the “severe divisiveness in multiple parties.” He doesn’t “see there being a solution to the divisiveness.”
Middle East and global warming mentioned little
The youngest couple interviewed — she, 23 with a master’s degree in civil engineering, and he, 27 with a master’s degree in power systems engineering — were among the most tuned into current affairs. She said the rights of minorities are most important to her in upcoming elections but added that “as a woman, women’s rights are of great importance as well as the geo-political environment.” He said he is very concerned about tensions in the Middle East but that his “biggest concern is how few politicians understand global warming and energy industry issues.”
Only two people, one a 37-year-old married woman and small business owner, mentioned abortion and the recent IVF controversy as the biggest issues for them in the upcoming election. She added the border situation. “Humane treatment for people wherever they are from. And foreign affairs.”
The other is a new American, a 35-year-old married mother from India, who became a citizen nine years ago and noted abortion as a prime issue of concern along with women’s rights in general, including the new IVF controversy. Childcare is also on her list. She was the only interviewee who said she wants to become involved in local elections, though she has not done so yet.
Issues mentioned by others included student loans, child care, and health insurance.
Local and state impact of vote acknowledged
Understandably, several of those interviewed noted that their vote had more meaning in local and state elections than in federal contests in the state of Massachusetts where the presidential vote consistently skews to the Democratic candidate. Nonetheless, they will vote in the presidential election, because it is the thing to do.
We are interested in your thoughts about why at least the Millennials and Gen Zers we spoke to are voting but not involved in working for candidates, donating to campaigns or, for the most part, giving to organizations that work for issues they say they care about. We know that political candidates do not reach out to young voters — statistics show that about half (54%) of youth were contacted by any type of political party or organization in 2022. But is that the primary reason these young educated voters are uninvolved? Let us know what you think. Email us at ladies@leadingladiesvote.org
All the best,
Therese (she/her/hers)
Judy (she/her/hers)
Didi (she/her/hers)
Leading Ladies Executive Team