Millennial voters are expected to have a major impact in the upcoming 2020 presidential election, after a historic voter turnout in the 2018 midterms.
More than 100 of the demographic group convened last Saturday (March 7) at LeMoyne-Owen College for the second regional Black Millennial Political Convention (BMC).
While the group represented different backgrounds and varying experiences, they were unified by one goal: Developing ways to use their voting power to implement changes both locally and nationally.
Local panelist included Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, Memphis City Councilwoman Michalyn Easter-Thomas, and Shelby County Commissioners Tami Sawyer and Mickell Lowery.
The event comes at a critical time during the political landscape — on the heels of Super Tuesday and during a vital upcoming election to select the next President of the United States.
Millennials and their younger counterparts, Gen Z, are projected to make up 37 percent of voters in the 2020 presidential election, according to the Pew Research Center. The groups, ranging from ages 24 to 39, are believed to be more racially and ethnically diverse than all other age groups, and are more likely to be Democrats.
It’s something that attendees at the BMC said they plan to use to their advantage.
“Millennials have a lot of power when we vote,” said LaTricea Adams, the lead organizer for the BMC Tennessee regional convention. “With an event like this, it brings things full circle. It’s not just about listening to people’s stories, but also getting the skillset and capacity to understand the political process and the importance of voting.”
Adams said now, more than ever, millennials are engaged in politics and social justice issues. The question is whether that energy will transfer to the polls?
While turnout rates for millennials soared in 2018, only 42 percent of eligible millennials turned out to vote. That’s compared with 64 percent of baby boomers and older voters, Pew Research Center results showed.
Rhodes College Professor Dr. Charles McKinney served as the BMC’s keynote speaker, reiterating the importance of millennial voting, pointed out the need for more engagement between elections.
“When we boil politics down to elections every two and four years, then we’ve already lost,” McKinney said. “Political education culminates in elections, but should be year round. If you want people to mobilize and get out to vote, you have to educate them so that they have the tools to grapple with the titanic issues of the day.”
Many of those issues were front and center at the BMC. Topics such as hip-hop’s role in politics, how to run for elected office, and engagement in social and environmental justice were on the extensive agenda, which boasted a diverse blend of panel discussions and information sessions.
Convention attendee and millennial voter, Jessica Tucker said younger voters tend to go to the polls when issues they care about are at stake.
“We’re going to play a major role in the upcoming presidential election, and it’s because the candidates are talking about things that matter to us,” Tucker said. “We saw how Biden attracted a lot of millennials because he was talking about issues they care about — like eliminating student debt.”
Event organizers said they hope attendees take the information back into their homes and communities to encourage other young voters to cast ballots.
“Millennials leading movements have reshaped and re-centered police brutality and other civil rights issues,” McKinney said.
Adams agreed. “We cannot wait. If we don’t see the change that’s needed in our communities, it’s up to us to make it happen.”
