Youth Engagement Top Priority As Democrats Prepare To Galvanize Young Voters Following DNC

The energy was through the roof this week as Democrats from all over the country rallied around Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago.

Even with the high enthusiasm, surrogates for the Harris campaign team stressed the importance of continuing to engage with young voters in ways that directly speak to the issues important to them.

MORE: 5 Takeaways From Kamala Harris’ Historic Acceptance Of The Democratic Nomination

During a Youth Council forum on the second day of the convention, vice presidential nominee Tim Walz spoke directly to an audience of young voters about climate change, abortion access and education costs, three issues very important to Americans 36 and under.

“Around climate change, [young voters] need to take a role,” Walz said. “You know why? Because I’m going to be dead long before the impact … and you and your generation are going to feel the brunt of it.”

He also encouraged them to stay excited because the race was going to be close.

“[This election] is gonna be close … but it’s going to be won by your demographic,” he said. “You’ve got all the energy … sleep when you’re dead, not now.”

NewsOne had the opportunity to speak with some key surrogates in media row about how the party plans to continue to get young voters engaged.

The Harris campaign hasn’t taken any of the enthusiasm for granted and has leaned into the spaces where young voters are having important conversations.

Brencia Berry, political director for the Democratic National Committee, said that one of the main objectives of the Harris Campaign is to make sure they are showing up in spaces where young people are having important conversations.

“We are meeting people where they are,” Berry told NewsOne. “To your point about strategy, showing up in places like TikTok and spaces that young people are engaging in is important. We have been tapping into different events, festivals, activations, and so much more. For example, we just recently partnered with BET for the BET Awards, did a voter activation space and had our IWillVote.com ads playing throughout the experience. People could also click on a QR code and go through the process to see if they’re registered to vote, see where their polling stations are and there was a voter protection hotline on there as well. So, for us, it’s just showing up in those spaces that are culturally relevant to young voters.”

The DNC called on hundreds of social media influencers to join them at the convention to show their audiences that the Democrats could speak their language.

The Harris campaign has also launched a Twitch account, streaming her acceptance speech on the platform. Her page already has more than 5,000 followers and that number is poised to grow every day as we get closer to the election.

In all, Harris has a social presence on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, YouTube, and X. The campaign has also hired more than 175 digital marketing staffers to create content as well as digital ads, according to Wired.

“Our job as the campaign is to break through a historically personalized media landscape, taking the VP and her vision for the future directly to the hardest-to-reach voters and those who will decide this election,” Seth Schuster, a Harris spokesperson, told Twitch.

With TikTok as the campaign’s main go-to social platform, the Kamala HQ TikTok has received 232 million views and 33 million likes since its rebranding earlier this month.

Gen Z voters say the issues that matter to them most are the War in Gaza, abortion access, environmental justice, education costs and LGBTQ+ rights, according to WHSV.

Kaylee Werner, a 20-year-old Pennsylvania delegate, told WHSV that she believes the Democratic ticket favors compassion, which is why she’s leaning toward Harris as her presidential pick.

“For me, voting for the Democratic ticket is voting for values and beliefs,” Werner said. “Uplifting others, standing with others, and making sure everybody has equal opportunities in life to thrive.”

Now that VP Harris is officially the nominee, the excitement is sure to continue, but can the Democrats keep up the enthusiasm until November? The fight does seem to have shifted in their favor, but by no means is this battle over.

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