University of Chicago’s Youth VoteFest encourages Gen Z voters at DNC

CHICAGO – The University of Chicago Institute of Politics hosted a Youth VoteFest during the Democratic National Convention at the Epiphany Center for the Arts on Wednesday. The push to galvanize young voters and secure the youth vote was felt as elected officials and activists spoke to teens and young adults to encourage them to get to the polls.According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), 40.8 million members of Gen Z will be eligible to vote in the November presidential election, including 8.3 million newly eligible youth who will have aged into the electorate since the 2022 midterm election. As a group that has been recognized as a diverse and politically active generation, the youth hold a significant amount of power and will be a crucial voting bloc in the election.However, while younger voters are engaged in the political sphere, broken politics have disillusioned them.The event featured a live taping of “The Run-Up” podcast, hosted by New York Times reporter Astead W. Herndon with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson as the featured speaker. Herndon questioned if the messaging coming from politicians and party leaders has dampened the vigor of Gen Z voters.“As long as...