On Politics

Wed Nov 1 2023

Marina Pitofsky | Associate Editor/Politics

Hi OnPolitics readers. What issues do you think young voters care about as we head into 2024? Climate change? Gun safety?

🗳️ A group of young voters told USA TODAY's Savannah Kuchar that abortion is the top issue driving them to the polls, even in this year's off-cycle election.

In Ohio, voters next week will consider a ballot measure to protect abortion. But even in states where Americans aren't voting specifically on abortion, it's still a top campaign message as the country gears up for the 2024 race for the White House.

Post-Roe: Aveline Clark, a second-year student at the University of Akron, told USA TODAY she has "spoken to probably a couple hundred people on campus about this issue over the past month or so."

"I can count on one hand how many people responded negatively."

On the other side of the aisle: It's not just young Democratic voters who told USA TODAY they're activated by debates over abortion. Sophia Aros, a chair of the Fauquier County Young Republicans in northern Virginia, said some conservatives her age are less on board with the GOP governor's proposed 15-week ban.

"This younger generation is understanding the importance of being able to have those rights because it goes farther than just abortion rights. It's bodily autonomy, it's your person, your body," she said.