Sound Bites, Not Substance: How Politicians Are Failing Young Voters

Young voters are more important now than ever before.

Baby Boomers are slowly losing their influence, and young people are taking the reins. Some projections predict millennials and Gen Z will make up 45 percent of total voters in the 2024 election. Though politicians on both sides of the aisle claim to represent young people, their policy platforms do not reflect this generational shift.

On one hand, Democrats continue to take the youth vote for granted — no surprise, given younger adults have for decades favored the left. They promise well-intentioned policies, like increased funding for education and climate action, but often fall short of delivering, leaving young voters disillusioned.

Conversely, Republicans tout ‘victories’ that claim to protect children, like bans on books and the participation of trans girls in sports. Although high-profile debates over these issues garner fanatic support from portions of the base, these actions ignore the systemic problems that actually face children and young adults, including inadequate funding for mental health services and school safety.

The unabating epidemic of school shootings demonstrates both parties’ failure to push for reform. Despite tears and anger each time a shooting breaks into the news, their proposed legislation falls far short of comprehensive gun control. Instead, they push for further securitizing schools, a strategy shown not to make schools safer and, in some instances, to cause more harm.

The last time I really heard young people’s voices featured in the national discourse, I wished I didn’t have to. During the peak of the campaign against former Harvard President Claudine Gay, I witnessed reporters scouring the Yard for unsuspecting students, salivating at the thought of getting one of my classmates on the record. The appetite to hear from my peers even landed one recent Harvard graduate a place at the Republican National Convention.

A headline featuring Harvard is eye-catching. But we do not just want elitely educated young voices uplifted when it’s splashy; we seek real representation and, yes, real change.

What does a political agenda that actually supports the new generation of voters look like? Politicians must do away with the useless rhetoric and implement policies that make a difference.

A political agenda that truly benefits youth — children and college students alike — includes proven solutions like an expanded Child Tax Credit, which has been shown to reduce child poverty by more than 30 percent, or improved access to quality afterschool programs, which both support child development and keep kids safe.

For young adults, initiatives like youth job opportunity programs and student debt relief offer substantial returns on investment. And national service programs have the potential to yield significant economic and social benefits.

The majority of these initiatives are straightforward, common-sense policies, but unfortunately, our hyperpolarized political climate has undermined even solutions with obvious benefits.

Our representatives seem to be driven by fear — fear of political backlash, lost campaign funds, lowered reelection chances. Good politics consistently trumps good policy, leaving many young people feeling unheard and unenthusiastic.

It is time for a decisive shift in how politicians address the needs of young people. We are not pawns for photo ops or sound bites. We are not voters to be taken for granted. We are a vital and dynamic force with real concerns and aspirations.

Until political leaders truly understand the growing role of young voters, they will continue to use them as props. And, all the while, our concerns will remain unaddressed and our future uncertain.

David I. Gonzalez ’25, a Crimson Editorial editor, is a double concentrator in Psychology and Economics in Kirkland House.