Since Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee, her campaign has specifically aimed to engage young voters, influencing youth voter participation and advocacy in Georgia.
Porsche White, head organizer of the Harris-Walz campaign for Georgia, spoke to a young crowd at the Young Democrats of Georgia September conference, emphasizing the importance of their vote.
“As young democrats, we all know that we have the chance to shape history,” White said. “We have Vice President Harris and Governor Walz, who are running to make our future better together, and we are counting on your vote.”
Parker Short, who has served as president of Young Georgia Democrats since Jan. 1, said the switch from Biden to Harris as the presidential nominee motivated young organizers.
“We are so energized,” Short said. “We had to sit there and watch Joe Biden not be able to make the case about abortion access with Donald Trump. Now, it’s a complete sea change. We’ve got the best champion at the top of our ticket, leading us on a fast, exciting change to election day.”
Short finds the Harris-Walz campaign’s strategy to be effective in engaging young voters.
“Social media is definitely one thing,” Short said. “Kamala Harris has made every right campaign strategy from choosing Tim Walz as her vice president to meeting with young committee members before a rally in Michigan. I think she is hearing young voters and people are registering to vote because of it.”
Midtown graduate Royce Mann serves as communications director for Young Democrats of Georgia. Mann agrees with Short’s sentiments.
“They have used these really organic ways to get through to young voters by using trusted messengers, folks who young people are already engaged with, especially on social media,” Mann said. “I think leveraging those platforms to educate folks about the election has been really effective. I think focusing the campaign on the idea of joy has also been effective for youth.”
Mann believes that, while Harris’ campaign is appeasing to many youth voters currently, her stands on the war in Gaza will influence youth in November.
“When President Biden was the nominee, I think lots of young Democratic voters felt that it was a nearly unwinnable election,” Mann said. “I think the landscape has definitely changed, but I also want to see more from Vice President Harris and Governor Walz when it comes to appealing to young voters, especially those who are speaking up against the war in Gaza. I was disappointed that Vice President Harris has said that she’ll maintain the status quo when it comes to sending arms to Israel.”
Mann attends Emory University, where there has been protests against the Biden administration’s involvement in the war in Gaza.
“We’ve seen protests on campuses across the country, including Emory,” Mann said. “The genocide in Gaza is at the top of the list for young folks; I think that’s where we see the biggest gap still between young voters and the Democratic ticket. When it comes to other issues, like climate change, like college affordability, Vice President Harris has credibly shown herself to be a strong advocate.”
White emphasized the Harris-Walz campaign is passionate about working to help youth-oriented issues.
“They are promising a new way forward,” White said. “She is going to fight for us to have a safe and secure place to call home and to build generational wealth through homeownership. We need to make sure that we are diving up those numbers, talking to everybody and reminding them how important this election is.”
Tangela Damas is a sophomore at the University of Georgia and has begun advocacy and voter education efforts in the past month.
“I have been into politics for a while,” Damas said. “But, Kamala Harris really made me act on that interest. It has shown me that, if someone whose parents weren’t extremely rich and didn’t have all these connections can do that, then someone like me can.”
In her advocacy efforts, Damas has seen a high number of youth more interested in the election with Harris as the Democratic presidential bid.
“It’s crazy the amount of youth that she is affecting,” Damas said.” As someone who campaigns for her on campus, even in Athens, Georgia, it is so visible she has reached so many people from different backgrounds, different parts of life and different parts of the world, even. She has touched a lot of youth.”
Mann attended the Democratic National Convention with other YDG leaders. He found the tone inspiring, but not fitting.
“Folks feel a new sense of hope because we know that we can defeat Donald Trump in November,” Mann said. “It was also a very hopeful experience because I saw such a diversity of opinions, of backgrounds, of viewpoints. It really felt like a big tent party.”