Virginia youth vote helped spark largest Democratic win since 1961
Supporters of governor-elect Abigail Spanberger line up at Monroe Park for a campaign rally ahead of Election Day. Photo by Andrew Kerley.
Erika Vasquez, Contributing Writer
Virginia experienced a massive blue wave two weeks ago, with Abigail Spanberger flipping the governor’s mansion back to Democratic control and becoming the first female governor in the state’s history.
Democrats were propelled to victory in part by a high youth voter turnout. Voters under 30 showed out the most they have since 2021, proving themselves as an advantage for Democratic candidates.
Many Virginians feel like they can take a fresh breath of air now, said Richard Meagher, a political science professor at Randolph-Macon University.
“We are glad it’s over,” Meagher said. “I think everyone, even the ones who didn’t win so much. In Virginia where we have elections every year, I think election fatigue can be real, so it just felt like the end of a very long election cycle.”
NextGen America, a youth-based advocacy group, mobilized thousands of young voters ahead of Election Day to turn out for the issues that are most important to them, according to a press release. They used intensive outreach on college campuses, digital organizing efforts and issue-based messaging to energize first-time or infrequent voters.
Some college campuses showed double-digit growth, such as William and Mary, where youth turnout increased 34% from 2021. At James Madison University, turnout increased 41% from 2021. Turnout grew 8% at VCU.
The Democratic Party of Virginia regularly tabled around VCU leading up to the election — getting at least 800 students to register to vote and over 1,000 to commit to vote, according to organizers.
Spanberger made a campaign stop at Monroe Park just one day before Election Day. Around 100 people crowded around the candidate and spoke out about abortion access, LGBTQ+ rights and other issues important to them.
Stephen Farnsworth, director of the center for leadership and media studies at the University of Mary Washington, said it can be a challenge for candidates to connect with young people as the world changes rapidly. He said Spanberger was effective in connecting with younger voters by speaking about economic anxiety.
“Both campaigns were much more focused on social media than campaigns in the past,” Farnsworth said. “I think politics increasingly is recognizing that it is a wide strategy to reach voters on social media. That’s where you see a lot of young voters today.”
Celine Lac, a first-time voter, said she is happy with the election results.
“Honestly, I feel satisfied,” Lac said. “First of all the party I picked won and as a first-time voter in anything, I’ve learned a lot. I definitely realized the impact my vote has and I am just happy to see changes since that is something we need right now.”
Spanberger, lieutenant governor-elect Ghazala Hashmi and attorney general-elect Jay Jones — became the first female governor of Virginia, first Muslim woman to hold statewide office and first Black attorney general of Virginia respectively.
While the Republican party has scrambled following their loss, Democrats expanded their majority in the House of Delegates by 13 seats, winning in 64 of the chamber’s 100 districts.
The Board of Elections will certify results on Dec. 1. Spanberger is set to be sworn in on Jan. 17.
