I was proud to hear that Missouri and a few other states have discarded the Student Id as a valid basis for voter registration. It shows that college students have finally taken their right to vote seriously and threatened the balance of power in Red states.  It means Generation Z has become a potent force for causes they espouse, such as the right-to-choose, red flag laws, forgiveness of student loans, and affirmative action.

We have been trusting the old people in the room for a long time now, and the possibility looms bolder and brighter that the torch will be passed, because Gen X, Y and Z have begun to get politically active.

It started with the 2020 Election, which marked a dramatic change in the age of voters from the 2016 election:

Young voters also had record turnout: roughly 50%, according to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University, a jump of 11 percentage points from 2016 and likely the highest youth voter turnout since the voting age was lowered to 18. https://time.com/6049270/2020-election-young-voters/

The trend continued in the 2022 election, and the voices of younger voters are multiplying as we enter the 2024 election season. The dramatic demonstration of three young Tennessee lawmakers on the floor of the  state House rang true to the popular belief in controlling gun violence, a belief that has been silenced year after year since the horrific slaying of the Sandy Hook children in 2012.  The candidates in 2024 better be prepared for an amplified debate on gun control and red flag laws, as well as younger faces in the coming election.

That Republicans in several states have felt their political sway is threatened by college-age votes is a tribute to the groundswell of younger voters going to the polls and having an impact. The discrediting of the college i.d. is a shot across the bow of General Z, which are the most recent voters to attend college.  Voter apathy is no longer assumed for Gen Z, born between 1997 and 2012, and topping out at 26 years old.

If voting is fundamental to citizenship, it should be an educational goal of all states to enable voter registration among the young.  States should therefore set up state-i.d. authorities near or on college campuses to make voter awareness integral to post-secondary education.  There should be no assessment of who gains politically from registering younger voters, because voting is part of our patriotic duty. It should be accessible to all young citizens to engender this responsibility from an early age.

College professors should offer extra credit for students verifying their voting status with a state-id. I have never been a fan of extra credit, which is usually offered to the least deserving students. However, in the case of instilling a patriotic motivation in the youngest voters, I would waive my scruples for a worthy cause.  I have to admit, however, as a retired professor, I no longer have the power to change grades.

However, the use of extra credit to instill patriotism is a worthy corruption of academic principles.  It enhances the power of the vote by showing Gen Z how they can impact a democracy. It forces candidates to consider the rights of young people, when they campaign, rather than assuming the youngest votes are negligible.  And it puts the future of our democracy right in the hands of those who must inherit it.

The evidence that younger voters tend to vote Democratic is irrelevant to their rights as voters. If Republicans don’t want to be pushed out of office by the next generations of voters, they need to represent their interests. The outrage of some Republican legislators over the loan forgiveness offered by the Biden administration might have been swept away by a tide of young people voting in their next election. Most of those opposed to loan forgiveness were too busy patting themselves on  the back for paying up $10,000 loans, when most of their younger constituents were struggling with the $50,000- $100,000 loans.  That self-righteousness of debt satisfaction of Baby-boomers seemed deeply inconsiderate of the extraordinary cost of a college education ballooning in recent decades.

The emergence of the Gen Z voter is one of the most promising trends in our country. Every attempt should be made to make it easy for this age group to get voter i.d.’s  for the 2024 election. If Republicans don’t like their chances against this tide of voters, they should start tuning their campaign song to a fresh, new audience.