Hello folks, we're back with BuzzFeed's 2024 Election Diaries! Inspired by one of the most divided election years in US history, every week, I ask different groups of voters what their #1 political issue is AND which candidate they plan to vote for in November.
For this round, we asked Gen Z'ers to share their honest thoughts on the 2024 election. Forty-one million Gen Z'ers will be eligible to vote this year, and young voices are getting real about their plans for November.
Here are 21 political confessions from Gen Z voters.
All voter images used are AI-generated.
1. "I’m sick of all these people (mostly white men) in offices who are far older than my boomer parents making decisions for me that I’ll see into my retirement. The people are hurting, and it comes down to this pissing match of an election."
2. "The fact that Gen Z and Gen Alpha are going to be the ones who are going to have to deal with inflation, rising prices, and difficulty being able to buy an apartment building in the near future is nuts."
3. "Keeping our democracy is the most important thing because Trump wants to become a dictator, and I do not want to be on the wrong side of history."
4. "Trump is the businessman of this election. Both candidates (Trump and Biden) have had significant legal controversy within their terms in office. I view both as equally dishonest because the media had to shed light on their crimes."
5. "As a woman, I’ve already seen my rights surrounding my body and reproductive health stripped. I’m not looking for the far-right SCOTUS to strip my rights as a queer person, too. As an atheist and a skeptic, I’m also terrified of what the Christian nationalists on the right will do to education in this country."
6. "Trump and Biden had their chance to make changes during their presidencies. I feel we need change and new ideas. I don’t understand why our options for president are all senior citizens. How is this beneficial for forward and progressive movement?"
7. "The Israel-Hamas war is a top issue for me. I'm voting for Biden because Trump is horrible. Biden isn't perfect, but he won't totally destroy America like Trump would. Biden will actually appoint good people to positions of power."
8. "The economy feels terrible right now; schools aren’t teaching like they used to, there are so many homeless people on the streets, I can barely afford to pay rent. If Trump wins, you will see, everything will be easier."
9. "We need free healthcare for all, and we also need to end the two-party system and make a law that says people over 60 cannot be president. We don’t need old people with diminished cognitive abilities to run the country."
10. "As someone who became an adult when Biden took office, I have found it incredibly difficult to afford pretty much anything as time goes on. The cost of living is so high that I have often had to decide whether I want to pay my bills or buy groceries. In my opinion, if I want to live in a country where I can afford to do more than barely scrape by, we need Trump back to fix our economy."
11. "I’m voting for Biden because he believes that climate change is a real issue. He is the only viable candidate who remains committed to improving the planet. Every other issue is secondary because if the climate is not improved, essentially everyone under 70 will suffer."
12. "Safety is my top issue. There are too many kids dying, too much crime, violence, and ridiculously high prices. Something needs to change. I want my kids to be safe, and I want to be able to afford things."
13. "It is absolutely messed up that the state governments can dictate the reproductive health of half the country’s population. Abortion bans are already having serious consequences."
14. "Cost of living is most important. I'm trying to start my life and afford to get to my own place, which is next to impossible. I had to change career paths because I could not afford to live. I'm unsure of who to vote for because I feel that almost all of the candidates cannot actually get to the main focus of what our country needs."
15. "I know that Trump cannot win the 2024 election if I want to protect my rights to have an abortion and access to contraceptives. Republicans are so bent on implementing their controlling ‘religious beliefs’ into government policy that they are completely ignoring the destruction they’re causing."
16. "The cost of living is my top issue this election. I’m supporting RFK Jr. because, based on interviews, he seems like an extremely genuine person who speaks from the heart and does what he believes is right."
17. "I’m more voting Democrat than voting for Biden. He’s not my first choice as a presidential candidate, but the Democratic Party has the same beliefs as I do, so I vote blue."
18. "I don’t understand how anyone could vote for Trump after Jan. 6. Good candidates don’t make other politicians literally fear for their lives. Also, it just showed blatant disrespect for the Constitution and our political processes, which is such a red flag."
19. "Immigration is an important issue for me, but I'm undecided because while I agree more with Trump's border policies, I do not agree with him on other policies. I also do not and cannot support Biden in his support/aid to Ukraine and Israel. RFK is just an all-around NO."
20. "Reproductive rights are under severe attack, and the consequences of the laws conservatives want to pass will be swift and destructive. It doesn't matter if I live in a 'safe' state; my life and the lives of every single person with a reproductive system are on the line in this next election."
And finally...
21. "Honestly, I just want our hell of a political landscape to be dealt with. Everything’s gone to shit, and nothing’s getting better. Gun violence, inflation, climate change, foreign policy, the drug crisis, the opioid crisis, and just our economy in general are getting worse and worse with every passing day."
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! In the next round, we'll focus on Latino voters. So, if you're a Latino voter, we want to hear from you via this anonymous Google form. Your response may be featured in an upcoming post!
Responses have been edited for length/clarity.