Gen Z voters: New to voting, but not new to politics

Lee, like many other Americans born in the mid-1990s to early 2000s, will be a first-time voter in 2018. Despite their lack of experience as voters, research suggests Gen Z voters are more optimistic and less skeptical about politics than prior generations. CIRCLE (Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement), a non-partisan research group that specializes in youth political engagement, found that 73 percent of Generation Z believes in “working together to promote important political goals even if we face difficulties.” With the midterm elections coming up, Gen Z views its vote as the best way to collectively promote its political goals and its voice this fall.

And right now the race to watch is in Lee’s hometown in California’s 39th District, which includes parts of Orange, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. The incumbent Republican Representative and Chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, Ed Royce, announced his resignation via Twitter in January after serving in the House of Representatives since 1993. The 2016 election and his low approval rating signaled to Royce that his District was changing and a re-election was not a guarantee. In a poll funded by a Democratic-leaning group and conducted by Public Policy Polling, Royce had an approval rating of 36 percent and Donald Trump had a disapproval rating of 60 percent within the district. The opening in the 39th District where Hillary Clinton won by 8.5 percentage points signaled to Democrats that this could be a possible seat pick-up.

After the June 5 primaries in California, Young Kim and Gil Cisneros became the two nominees fighting for the open seat. In a poll conducted by the New York Times/ Siena College in mid-October, 47 percent of the 496 respondents planned to vote for Gil Cisneros compared to 46 percent for Young Kim. With these close margins, this race has been labeled as a 2018 battleground race that can influence who controls the 116th House of Representatives.

Kim, a Republican Korean-American immigrant, would be the first Korean woman elected to Congress. She previously served as the state assemblywoman for the 65th District. She highlights her experience in public service not only as an assemblywoman, but also as Director of Community Operations for Royce for two decades. With a background as a previous staffer, Kim quickly received Royce’s endorsement.

Cisneros, a Democrat and Navy veteran, is a 2010 Mega Millions jackpot winner, an education advocate and a philanthropist. He is part of the Hispanic community that makes up one-third of the district. Without a position in elected office, Cisneros was endorsed by former President Barack Obama where Obama noted his veteran status as “more Navy medals for his service than his years in politics.” The Democratic nominee also worked closely with the former first lady, Michelle Obama, on her “Reach Higher” campaign to help aid kids access higher education. Cisneros and his wife, Jackie, also started scholarships for Hispanic students at George Washington University and the University of Southern California. (Editor’s note: the Annenberg Media Center has received a donation from Cisneros and his wife. They have no influence on coverage.)

With a close battleground race in the 39th, the Gen Z vote has the potential to swing the district. According to CIRCLE, the 39th District is in the top 10 elections to watch where young voters might decide the election. To determine the top 10 congressional districts, the Youth Electoral Significance Index (YESI) “utilizes indicators of demographics, historical voting patterns, and projected competitiveness to produce a ranking of the states and districts where young people (ages 18-29) have the highest potential for impact on the 2018 elections.” According to CIRCLE, over 110,000 young people live in the 39th, which is “roughly 18% of the population—the highest proportion for any District in [CIRCLE] top-10.”