Gen Z is the generation known for speaking up. Whether it is climate change, reproductive rights, or racial justice, young people are not afraid to use their voices online. Yet when it comes to the ballot box, there is a clear pattern: turnout spikes for presidential elections, then drops dramatically for state and local ones. The same generation that dominates digital discourse often forgets to engage where it matters most—at home.
Every four years, presidential elections dominate headlines and social feeds. Campaigns flood TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube with hashtags and influencer partnerships, making the process feel cultural as much as political. State elections, on the other hand, receive little attention. The candidates are less visible, the issues feel less glamorous, and the stakes are often misunderstood. This disconnect has created a dangerous gap between how Gen Z expresses values and how those values are represented in policy.
State elections determine much of what affects daily life: access to abortion, environmental protections, housing costs, education funding, and even the minimum wage. Governors, state legislators, and local representatives hold the power to shape the laws that guide entire communities. Focusing only on presidential races creates the illusion that change flows from the top down, when in reality, it often starts in local offices and community meetings.
Ginger Barbour, a State Government Research Associate at McGuireWoods Consulting, believes this imbalance starts with how presidential elections are built into the culture, while local ones are often overlooked.
“Presidential elections are embedded in our education system and our media,” Barbour explains. “From Election Night to Inauguration Day, the federal executive and legislative branches are taught to be consumed by every generation. In the 2024 Election, Gen Z’s influence was inescapable and evident using streamers and influencers like Adin Ross and Alex Cooper and pop culture phenomenon Brat Summer.”
State and local elections, she says, are actually more transparent than ever, but they rarely reach young people in ways that resonate.
“Messaging is not attractive or digestible for non-politicos,” she says. “At the core of State and Local political communications are journalists, copywriters, and social media managers who produce each press release, post, ad, or mailer. Gen Z is not viewed as a consumer, target audience, critic, or donor by these authors and therefore rarely are their algorithms considered.”
Part of the problem lies in accessibility. Many young voters do not know when state elections happen or how to register in time. Election dates vary by state, and the lack of consistent media coverage means deadlines often pass unnoticed. Social media activism can give the illusion of participation, but a retweet cannot replace a vote. Gen Z has mastered awareness; the next step is accountability.
The disconnect also stems from how civics is taught—or not taught—in schools. Many young voters leave high school without understanding the roles of state officials or how local policy connects to national impact. Without that foundation, presidential campaigns become the only recognizable entry point into politics. Reintroducing civic education, community organizing, and local mentorship programs could bridge that gap and help turn online passion into real participation.
Barbour also points to a representation gap between traditional campaign messaging and Gen Z audiences. Even as digital outreach grows, she says, “This year, all eyes are on New Jersey and Virginia as the only two statewide elections in the country. There are no Twitch sub goals in sight, yet campaigns pride themselves on meeting voters where they are.”
That absence of authentic outreach has consequences. State elections are where most policy decisions that affect daily life are made, from reproductive rights and healthcare access to environmental policy and education funding. Yet these races rarely receive the same social push or emotional storytelling that presidential campaigns do.
“Voting in state and local elections impacts who is elected to allocate state funding,” Barbour explains. “This includes, but is not limited to, policy regarding education—from K–12 to higher education and career and technical education programs to taxes and expanding innovative approaches to revenue growth like the adult-use cannabis market and digital gaming, and to fundamental policy areas such as public safety, immigration, public transportation, energy, land use, zoning, healthcare, and more.”
Another reason state elections fall through the cracks is the emotional distance they create. Presidential races feel exciting and unifying, offering clear figures to rally behind. State and local candidates, however, often lack visibility and narrative. Gen Z, a generation driven by storytelling and identity, connects more deeply to personal stories than to procedural systems. Until state campaigns learn to meet young voters where they are with authenticity, transparency, and cultural relevance, the interest gap will remain.
Despite these challenges, the opportunity for change is massive. Gen Z is on track to become the largest voting bloc in the United States by the end of the decade. The generation’s values equity, sustainability, and justice align with many of the issues decided at the state level. Learning to vote locally means shaping the laws that directly reflect those priorities. It also ensures that the energy spent on national conversations translates into tangible progress.
Barbour believes that the connection starts with understanding both privilege and responsibility.
“Young voters need to know their vote and their voices matter,” she says. “We are not far enough removed from women’s suffrage and the Voting Rights Act of 1964 to get complacent. People died for me to have the right to vote which has empowered me to take part in every primary, general, and special election I have been eligible for since the age of 18.”
She adds that civic engagement must be passed down like a family value.
“My ancestors were prohibited from being educated and taught to read. That alone should be motivation enough to protect your rights,” Barbour says. “Gen Z must have the same conviction as the generations before them. We must continue to be the change we want to see and be involved in our future and the future of Gen Alpha.”
Many young voters underestimate how much influence they already have within their communities. Showing up to local meetings, volunteering for campaigns, or even helping friends register to vote creates a ripple effect that extends far beyond Election Day. Civic participation is not just about casting a ballot; it is about staying informed and active between elections. That steady involvement is what transforms passion into progress.
Her message is clear: real power starts locally. “Change at a state level and local level happens far more rapidly than at the federal level,” Barbour notes. “There are opportunities for input in front of the School Board, the City Council, the Board of Supervisors, the State Board of Education, and down to Subcommittees on Companion Animals. Even with an age limit on voting, there is no age limit on advocacy.”
Voting locally also serves as long-term protection. The outcomes of state elections determine how rights are preserved when federal laws fluctuate. For example, reproductive freedom, LGBTQ+ protections, and climate policy often depend on governors and state legislators long after national attention moves elsewhere. Gen Z’s voice carries influence, but it requires consistency to sustain power.
The idea that politics only matter every four years is outdated. Real change starts in city halls, school districts, and state assemblies, the places that shape everyday life. The same urgency that fuels national campaigns must carry over to the local level, where policy meets people.
Gen Z has already proven that it can mobilize movements and redefine cultural influence. The next step is realizing that the revolution does not begin on Election Day; it begins at home.