How to talk to Gen Z about voting with Olivia Julianna

My Q&A with a firestarter who's burning it all down in Texas

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Olivia Julianna is an abortion rights activist, democracy organizer, and political influencer from Houston, Texas. With over 1 million followers across TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram, her content has accumulated over 1 billion views, changing the political landscape and putting youth voices front and center in the fight for the future of democracy. 

Olivia came to national prominence for initiating the takedown of a whistleblower website that targeted anyone in Texas who aiding abortion access, and for raising $2.2 million for abortion organization funds after she was publicly attacked by Republican Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz.

Olivia has also facilitated collaborations with elected officials like Vice President Kamala Harris, Governors Josh Shapiro and Gretchen Whitmer, and Congressmembers Jasmine Crockett, Jamaal Bowman. She was awarded the Ms. Foundation Marie C Wilson Emerging Leader award and the Planned Parenthood Southeast Legends in the Making award, previously awarded to Cecile Richards and Congressman John Lewis.  

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Tell us about how you originally became interested in the political space.

I grew up in a very civically involved household. My dad was a staunch conservative, enthusiastic voter for both John McCain and Mitt Romney. He took me to vote with him as a kid and would also have me watch presidential debates and the news every morning before school. I considered myself to be a Republican for a long time as a child, until I joined debate during my freshman year of high school. One of the first cases I had to research for my Lincoln Douglass competition was stem cell research using fetal tissue. It forced me to research abortion laws and studies around it which opened my eyes to the fact that a lot of the anti-choice talking points I had been told as a child were not true. 

My junior year of high school was when the Covid lockdowns started, and I was locked in my little rural townhouse on my phone all day, every day, watching the most contentious presidential election in my lifetime. After the murder of George Floyd, I saw my community ignoring it and, at times, even celebrating his death. I was so disgusted that I told my dad I wanted to go to Houston and march, and he told me that if I went out to march, I shouldn’t come home (my father has since become very supportive of my work.) So, instead of going to march, I turned to social media and began making videos about a presidential election I would not even be old enough to vote in. In the years since I have worked for numerous non-profits, traveled the country doing abortion activism work, and stumping for pro-choice politicians. 

What are you seeing in terms of Gen Z when it comes to their feelings on voting in the upcoming election? Are they interested in voting? Are they confident in who they’ll vote for? Do they feel well informed?

I think Gen Z is not much different than the general electorate. It often feels like folks are looking down on young people when they ask them about voting. As if their vote is somehow less meaningful or valuable. Its a troubling trend where I’ve seen folks turn on young people as soon as they step out of lock step with the general Democratic messaging. I think young people are where most of the general public are, they know which candidate they support in the Presidential election and it is undoubtedly Joe Biden in the choice between Biden and Donald Trump– overall young voters will not break for Trump. Rather the young people who feel disillusioned will not come out to vote at all– which is why it is so important to bring them back into the fold by outlining to them the successes of what has been done and what more could be done if we ensure Democrats retain and increase their power in electoral systems.

I would say young voters do not lend their confidence to candidates but rather lend their confidence to movements and issues. Abortion and Democracy in particular have been hard motivators in the last several elections at statewide levels and the midterms in 2022. Despite young voters still not voting as actively as older generations, we still outpace older generations in voting at this period in our life. We are the most civically engaged by the numbers when it comes  to voting and being involved in electoral politics. Young voters will be brought out in 2024 but it won’t be because of Joe Biden— it’ll be because of abortion rights and Republicans inability to govern. 

What issues do you sense are most important to Gen Z right now?

Affordability and abortion. Young people are being crushed with low wages and high costs of living much like other generations in this country– however our education costs are higher on top of that. Finding ways to make living more affordable, particularly when it comes to housing, is incredibly important to young people and should be top of mind when crafting language and talking points targeted to new, young, and first time voters. Abortion is also undoubtedly a huge part of the motivation. Voting trends show young women vote for Democrats, even if its not in lock step with their family or community. I can’t tell you how many times I have knocked doors in Texas and the only registered Democratic voter in the household is someone under the age of 24. Abortion is important to women, and it is important to people who care about women. 

What can candidates do to better reach Gen Z?

Stop othering us. Social media is not unique to young people - you’ll also reach older generations there as well. The messaging to young people is not incredibly different than the messaging to older generations– it’s just different. The affordable care act for example: for us it matters because we can stay on our parents health insurance. Cost of living matters to those of us who live on our own and pay our own bills. Low wages matter, too.

For Gen X and Millennial parents with Gen Z children, what tips do you have for them to talk to Gen Z about voting and the importance of it?

Don’t preach to them. Ask them how they feel. Don’t listen to talk– listen to hear them and honestly address their concerns. Connect them to politics in their community. Teach them how mayors, county commissioners, and state governments have influence. Get them involved in their local community at an early age and explain to them the importance of being civically involved. Federal politics can be overwhelming, show them the people actively working in their community right now. It makes the process more easy to digest and understand that these folks need Democrats up and down the ballot to be empowered to make a difference here in our backyard.