We CAN Reach the Next Generation of Voters

By Audrea Decker, Voices Contributor Thursday, August 09, 2018

People vote during the U.S. presidential election at a displaced polling center in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York, November 6, 2012. | (Photo: Reuters/Brendan McDermid)

The Millennial generation (those born between 1982 and 1996) is now the largest living generation. There's over 83 million Millennials in the United States, including myself, and Generation Z's 70 million (those born after 1996) are right on our heels.

There is no ignoring it, these young Americans will soon be guiding our nation, for better or for worse.

These next two generations of Americans are different than the generations before us in several ways. We are the first to have lived our entire lives immersed in and shaped by technology — we were basically born with smartphone in-hand! During our lifetimes, American culture has been shifting from secular to blatantly anti-Christian.

The percentage of people who have a biblical worldview has been declining in each of the past few generations. Ten percent of Baby Boomers have a biblical worldview, 7% of Generation X, 6% of Millennials and only 4% of Generation Z.

You might think this means all hope is lost for the future of America, so why bother with these young Americans — but this is dangerous thinking. Give up on actively reaching, teaching and engaging the next generations and we run the risk of our country being led even further away from its biblical foundation.

And I'm not the only one with this belief. President Ronald Reagan said, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." Frighteningly enough, Russian Communist leader Vladimir Lenin understood this too, saying, "Give me just one generation of youth and I'll transform the whole world."

A respect for civic duty must be cultivated in the next generation of Christian voters. This is why My Faith Votes and im2moro have teamed up to target Christian universities, whose students often share Christian values but don't necessarily vote. We've created a compelling non-partisan faith-based initiative, Because I Care, I pray. I think. I vote, to challenge every student on Christian university campuses to take their biblical worldview with them to the ballot box. Our goal with these resources is to speak to the heart of Millennials and Generation Z-ers and provide tools to inspire students to use their votes to make a difference.

During the 2016 presidential election, we were on over 40 different campuses and reached 172,000 students — 73% who used our tools actually voted! The 2018 fall semester is about to start, and our goals are to recruit 100 campuses and double the number of students reached. Hope is not lost to reach my generation, but we have to act now.

A biblical worldview provides the only comprehensive answers to life's biggest questions, and we've seen it connect and resonate with young Americans. These youngest of American generations just need to be inspired to carry on the responsibility of protecting and preserving the ideals that have brought peace, prosperity and freedom to our nation since its first generation.

Audrea Decker is Communications Director at My Faith Votes, a nonpartisan movement focused on motivating Christians in America to participate in local and domestic elections. By partnering with local churches, pastors and national faith leaders, My Faith Votes mobilizes and resources Christians to lead the conversation on the place of faith in culture and politics. Gov. Mike Huckabee serves as the organization's honorary national chairman.