Kansas City Electorate Confronts Generational Divide

A local trend we've noticed that in a few forums, via social media and amongst insider chatter . . .

There's a growing divide betwixt younger voters & candidates vs. older denizens and Kansas City institutions.

For instance . . .

Nobody under 40 cares about The Citizens Association 2.0.

A fun fact to consider . . .

The Millennial generation is the largest generation in America today and the largest in American history. 

However . . .

Overall the youth vote is worth considering and their impact on American politics will be undeniable  . . . HOWEVER, in KCMO elections there hasn't be a contest decided by younger voters since the 1970s. 

Sorry, but municipal elections are the stomping ground of the old school.

Still . . . 

We have seen quite a few candidates and local groups claim their strength lies in the youth vote. In a few weeks we'll see if they're correct. 

Meanwhile . . . 

Skeptical souls might not believe that there are legions of millennial voters who are dedicated to fighting the rent and pushing an hardcore LGBT agenda at city hall. 

Again, we return to the big picture and how many conservatives see this generational divide . . . 

"First, younger voters overwhelmingly support the Democratic Party’s positions on issues like abortion and inclusion that Republicans have traditionally opposed. Even worse for the GOP’s future, a majority of younger Republican voters are closer to the Democratic Party’s positions on these cultural issues than they are to their own party’s posture. However, the Republican generational gap is not significant on economic issues. To take advantage of this potential opening with younger voters, the Republican Party would have to reverse their current emphasis on “wokeness” and pound away on the country’s economic unease instead."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Younger voters are poised to upend American politics

Political scientists and forward-looking politicians have been debating the ultimate impact of the two youngest American generations - Plurals (Gen Z) and Millennials - on the nation's partisan future for some time. With these two generations scheduled to become a majority of the American electorate later this decade, election results and a spate of recent data from Pew research are providing an increasingly persuasive answer.

Gen Z's political power: new data gives insight into America's youngest voters

For 19-year-old Jenna Ruiz, voting for the first time was a thrill. "My group of friends and I were really excited," Ruiz said, a sophomore at Miami Dade College who serves as student government president.

Developing . . .