Gen Z voters, concerned about their futures, are energized to show up at Mecklenburg County polls
Voter turnout amongst older generations historically outpaces young voter turnout. But this year, disillusioned by an economy that doesn’t seem to be working for them and frustrated with political division, Generation Z voters could be narrowing that gap.
Gen Z is currently about 14 to 29 years old. Data from the North Carolina Board of Elections shows that in the 2024 election, voter turnout in Mecklenburg County for voters aged 18-25 was 57.4%, the lowest of any age group; the second-lowest turnout rate was for voters 26-40, at 61.1%. And in the 2022 midterm, these rates were significantly lower: only 24.1% of registered voters in the 18-25 bloc turned out to vote in Mecklenburg County, and 34.2% of voters aged 26-40.
Other data from The Civics Center, a nonprofit focused on youth civic engagement, shows that as of Oct. 13, 66% of 18-year-olds in Mecklenburg County are registered to vote, compared to 81% of people 45 or older.
A full picture of young voter turnout won’t be available until the midterms are over. But Gen Z voters at Mecklenburg County polls on Thursday told The Election Hub they felt energized to get out and vote this year, and that their friends who are also their age feel the same way.
At an early voting site in Matthews, Ben Kearney, a 22-year-old recent college graduate, said he was motivated to come out to vote to “get rid of the corruption and career politicians.” But he said the main problem his generation faces is the high cost of living.
“A lot of stuff was kind of promised to us and said that if we work hard enough, we could get it; we just simply can't afford it,” Kearney, a Matthews native, said.
Standing outside of Matthews Library after casting his ballot, Kearney said he feels like buying a house and getting a mortgage “is kind of a pipe dream” for a lot of people in his generation.
A volunteer with Meck Dems at the polling site told The Election Hub that the day before, on Oct. 28, a young voter from Matthews who goes to college in Vermont drove over 10 hours home to vote early. She had realized she was no longer registered, and didn’t want to risk any complications on Election Day.
Another volunteer, who was with the Mecklenburg County GOP, said that three college-aged voters had visited the library that day to campaign for Stacie McGinn, the Republican candidate for North Carolina Senate District 42.
In Charlotte’s university area, Gen Z is flooding the polls.
On Oct. 29, college students and recent graduates entered and exited Atrium Health University City Conference Center (formerly University City Library), an early voting site, in a steady stream. Some carpooled with friends or hitched a ride on UNC Charlotte vans.
Young voters there told The Election Hub that they came to the polls out of concern for their future.
“Students like me who are about to finish school … once we’re done with school we want to be able to survive in the community we live in,” said Jestevie Mpembu, a 22-year-old UNC Charlotte student.
Mpembu said he was concerned about gas prices and other affordability issues, like high housing costs. He said he voted in favor of all three City of Charlotte bonds and hopes that the housing bond, if it passes, will help young people like himself.
But he’s also concerned about other people in his community who are on Medicaid, food assistance programs like SNAP, and other benefits that have been subject to cutbacks under the Trump administration.
Other college students shared similar sentiments.
“This is probably, to me, one of the most important times to vote, and since we’re Gen Z, probably one of the earliest times to vote for us,” John Campomanes, a 23-year-old from Charlotte. “I see more hurt in people nowadays. I think people are suffering more from housing [costs] or suffering from increased inflation…I see more people voicing that suffering [at the polls] instead of hiding it.”
He said he was excited to vote for Roy Cooper for Senate and other Democrats down the ballot.
Campomanes said he thinks young voters are reacting to some of the Trump administration’s actions and taking that discontent to the polls.
“I think this is probably the biggest revolt in our lifespans of people fighting back,” he said.
Akiya Phillips, 24, and Eryka Parker, 25, said this year, many of their friends around their age are excited to vote. For them — like the other voters at the polling site — the most important issues were quality-of-life concerns.
“We want to be able to have the lifestyle our parents had when they were our age,” Parker said.
Both women said they were excited to vote for Cooper.
On Oct. 28, hundreds of UNC Charlotte students marched about a mile from campus to Atrium Health University City Conference Center to vote.
Mecklenburg County’s elections director, Michael Dickerson, told The Election Hub that UNC Charlotte has had an on-campus polling location in previous elections, "mostly for presidential elections." But this year, his bipartisan Board of Elections decided upon the Atrium Health University City Conference Center instead.
In a previous interview with The Election Hub, he said that Republicans on the Board of Elections had wanted fewer earlier voting sites and Democrats more, but they eventually came to a compromise.
Early voting is until 3 p.m. on Saturday (Oct. 31). Election Day is Tuesday (Nov. 3).
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Rachel Black is a reporter and writer for The Election Hub. Reach her at rachel@theelectionhub.org.
For information on this and other races on the ballot in Mecklenburg, Gaston and Cabarrus counties and beyond, check out The Election Hub. It is a project of the Civic Knowledge Initiative, a nonpartisan nonprofit based in Charlotte that makes it easy for every citizen to find, understand and act on reliable information about their local government and elected officials.
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