Last week, the state of Georgia led by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, passed one of the nation's most restrictive voting bills, designed to suppress minority voting. The bill imposes new voter identification requirements for absentee ballots, limits the use of ballot drop boxes, and - wait for it - makes it a crime to give food or water to people waiting in line to vote.
No wonder President Biden called it Un-American.
While it may be part of a national trend - Republican
lawmakers in more than 40 states have introduced more than 250 bills to
restrict voting, Georgia appears to have gone a step too far. (Blake, 2021)
This weekend on Twitter, calls went out to Coca-Cola asking them to announce that they will supply Dasani water to all Georgia voters; while support for #BoycottGeorgia which targets Coca-Cola, Delta, Home Depot, AFLAC and UPS trended. (Romero, 2021)
Golf's Master Tournament, scheduled to begin next week and Major League's Baseball's All Star game scheduled for July are also being pressured to move/cancel. (Moore, 2021)
So what is Gen Z making of all this?
Gen Z is more racially and ethnically diverse than previous generations. Only 52% are White. 29% are Hispanic, 14% are Black, 6% are Asian, and 5% identify as Other, which includes mixed race. Roughly two-thirds of Gen Z say that Blacks are treated less fairly than Whites in this country. (Parker & Igielnik, 2020)
Gen Z showed up to vote in 2020. Turnout among voters 18-29 rose from 46.5% in 2016 to 54.5% in 2020. (Siddiqui & Ngo, 2020)
And, 53% of Gen Z say they have purchased a brand/product to show support for the issues the brand supported. An additional 23% said they would consider doing so. While 40% have stopped purchasing if the company stands for something or behaves in a way that doesn't align with their values. And an 27% would consider joining them. That's 67% willing to boycott under the appropriate circumstances. (Hessekiel, 2018)
So will Gen Z boycott Coca-Cola, Delta, Home Depot, AFLAC and UPS? Will they choose not to live in a state that actively fights against their beliefs? Or will practicality outweigh activism much as it does when they keep reordering from Amazon despite its anti-union stance?
Blake, J. (2021, March 28) Georgia Republicans made two big mistakes when they attacked voting rights. cnn.com. Retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/28/politics/voting-rights-georgia-souls-polls-blake/index.html
Romero, D. (2021, March 26) Calls for economic boycott grow after Georgia adopts voter restrictions. nbcnews.com. Retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/calls-economic-boycott-grow-after-georgia-adopts-voter-restrictions-n1262241
Moore, T. (2021, March 29) Sports world should boycott Georgia over racist voting law. cnn.com. Retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/29/opinions/georgia-voting-restrictions-sports-moore/index.html
Parker, K. & Igielnik, R. (2020, May 14) On the Cusp of Adulthood and Facing an Uncertain Future: What We Know About Gen Z So Far. pewresearch.org. Retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/05/14/on-the-cusp-of-adulthood-and-facing-an-uncertain-future-what-we-know-about-gen-z-so-far-2/
Siddiqui, S. & Ngo, M. (2020, November 26) Young Voters Helped Biden Beat Trump After Holding Back in Primaries. wsj.com. Retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://www.wsj.com/articles/young-voters-helped-biden-beat-trump-after-holding-back-in-primaries-11606399200
Hessekiel, D. (2018, June 26) Engaging Gen Z In Your Social Impact Efforts. forbes.com. retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhessekiel/2018/06/26/engaging-gen-z-in-your-social-impact-efforts/?sh=1f2d93066499
