How Forward Montana is Mobilizing the Youth Vote in a High-Stakes Election Year

The state of Montana, while likely out of reach to Democrats on the presidential level, will play a crucial role this November in determining which party controls the House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. In the competitive races for Montana’s first congressional district as well as Jon Tester’s U.S. Senate seat, Kiersten Iwai of Forward Montana believes that it is young voters who will make all the difference. 

“Here in Montana,” said Iwai, “we have a tremendous opportunity to really show how young people are a powerful voice [and] are a really key constituency that candidates have to listen to.”

Iwai is the executive director of Forward Montana, which describes itself as the “largest youth civic engagement organization in Montana.” The organization is currently registering thousands of young voters for the 2024 election cycle and have robust GOTV efforts planned for this autumn. Those efforts are heavily concentrated in the western part of the state, in the cities of Bozeman and Missoula, home to Montana’s two largest universities and a large population of twentysomethings, including many young people who’ve moved here in recent years for its outdoor attractions.

Young Voters Could Decide Outcomes in Two Key Montana Races

Western Montana is part of the first congressional district, a seat held by Ryan Zinke, who served as former President Donald Trump’s Secretary of the Interior. Zinke won his race in 2022 by under 4 points and is one of the most vulnerable Republicans in the House. Given that tight margin, strong youth turnout in CD-1 could make the difference in whether Zinke holds on to his seat this fall in the face of a challenge from Monica Tranel, a lawyer and former Olympic Rower who is running against Zinke a second time. The youth vote could also be decisive in the Tester race. According to an analysis by CIRCLE, a research center at Tufts University, Montana is among the top three states where youth voting could make the biggest difference in a U.S. Senate race. 

Iwai is determined to make the most of the moment. Forward Montana works to engage young voters through multiple pathways, including tabling on university campuses and public events, door-to-door canvassing, digital outreach and phone banking. In 2020, the group says it made 100,000 calls to turn out young voters. 

A New Generation of Montana Leaders

But Forward Montana’s election activity is just one important component of their holistic, long-term vision. The organization, for example, is also working to educate and develop a new generation of leaders in Big Sky Country.

“We believe that young people should be and can be leading in their communities across the state,” said Iwai. “And so our leadership development programs are giving them the skills so they can be involved in whatever way is meaningful for them. Whether that’s running for office, whether that’s working for an organization that’s advocating for things that they believe in, whether that’s working for local government or state government and everything in between.”

Those involved with Forward Montana believe that true democracy is only possible when people and communities are empowered. They regularly host events for the simple purpose of fostering connection and the kinds of interpersonal bonds required to overcome difficult political struggles. These events include roller-skating meetups, wilderness survival training and informal seminars about running a business. Forward Montana also publishes a zine called Transcendent Joy, which features work from queer and trans writers from the state.

The philosophy of community building and bottom-up civic engagement extends to Forward Montana’s work to register and mobilize youth voters in 2024. This means, first and foremost, taking the melancholic despondency felt by many young Montanans seriously in a way that the major political parties often do not. 

“Young people in particular are feeling the crunch of so many global crises,” said Iwai. “It’s really easy to understand why somebody might feel apathetic or disillusioned and disappointed. We talk to young people, some who are completely checked out… We talk to people who are like, ‘I used to care but now I'm just so overwhelmed’... We talk to people who say ‘I am so fucking pissed right now at everything that is happening.’”

“A lot of times when young people raise their concerns, they’re really dismissed,” continued Iwai. “And that, I think, helps create this sentiment that ‘politics, democracy, civic engagement isn’t for me.’ Our job is to really break down those barriers so young people can be involved and their voices can be heard.”

Countering Negativity Among Young Voters

Forward Montana seeks to provide refreshingly hopeful antidotes to the rage and ambivalence. This does not mean painting a cartoonishly rosy picture of the state, country or world at large. It instead means first affirming the deep anxiety and anger felt by many young voters in 2024 and then mobilizing them to influence elections, policy and American democracy in ways that have often felt out of reach.

Sometimes, it’s as simple as just listening. An electorate cannot be expanded unless the concerns of prospective voters – in this case, young voters in Montana – are seriously considered and addressed.

“Here in Montana in particular,” noted Iwai, “we’re finding that housing and abortion access are really rising to the top because that is what is being attacked and what people are experiencing in the day to day. It’s like, ‘can I afford my rent?’ ‘Is my landlord going to kick me out to turn my house into a short-term rental?’ ‘Am I going to be able to buy a house and have stability for myself and my family?’”

Forward Montana, consistent with their holistic vision, furthermore understands that meaningful, long-lasting political mobilization requires serious follow-through. Once election day has come and gone, the organization engages in advocacy work on the local and state-wide levels to ensure that politicians make good on their campaign promises related to matters important to young Montanans. 

So while Forward Montana will be working hard this summer and fall to boost youth turnout in their state, it understands that this year’s election is just one piece of the larger picture and appreciates that true democracy requires long-term commitments from leaders and citizens alike. This is an organization that I sense has a cutting-edge grasp of the politics of 21st-century America and its future. The Democratic party would do well to pay attention. 

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