By Jordan Thomas
In this day and age, younger generations have the power to drastically change the planet as we know it. Born between 1980 and 2000, Millennials, or Generation Y, now make up the largest generation in both the United States and the world. As with each generation before, the Millennials have become a set of individuals who have been shaped by the world and culture
around them. With roughly 83.1 million members, America is slowly falling into the hands of Generation Y’s influence socially, economically, and most importantly, politically.
It is predicted that the presidential election of 2020 will have the largest voter turnout in U.S. history. This is due, in part, to the newly found political interest of Millennials. Generation Y members are typically more racially and ethnically diverse than the generations they are preceded by. Younger generations have also been found to have political tastes that are
drastically different from those of their parents. With maximum voter participation, Millennials will play an important role in determining the 2020 election outcome.
In 2018, the younger generations outvoted both the Silent Generation and the Baby Boomers. Pew Research has found that Millennials are less conservative than those of the older generations in both the male and female category. Those in Generation Y have seemed to fall
closer to Democratic regions rather than Conservative. Forty percent of Millennial men vote conservative.
A full 70% of millennial women identify themselves as Democrats. This is the largest percentage of any category including gender and age. Regarding the 2020 election, it is predicted that more than 50% of voters will belong to Millennials.
Millennials also have the power to influence the political conversations at hand. Each generation has its own issues they press, seeking change. Millennials could cause politicians to become more heavily involved with crises such as climate change, racial discrimination, and education. By raising awareness about different issues, younger generations are able to
significantly influence governmental concerns.
