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Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC. Now we will launch a week of midterm election call-ins for callers of different generations. Today, if you're in your 20s or younger, what issues are most likely to inspire you to vote in the midterm elections, or if you're under 18, what issues make you wish you could vote? 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. If you're in your 20s or younger, what issues are most likely to inspire you to vote in the midterm elections this year, or if you're under 18 and not eligible to vote, what issues make you wish you could? 212-433-9692.

We are doing these call-ins to give you input and to ask for your help, really, in planning our midterm election series, 30 Issues in 30 Days, which will begin next month. We know from polling and from these programs on experience, that people from different generations sometimes have issues that they key on as the most relevant or salient to their voting decisions, including whether or not to show up at all. We'll take it in different chunks this week. Call us in your 20s or below today, 30s and 40s tomorrow, and on up from there, 212-433-WNYC.

It'll be open phones in this 11:30, 11:40 time slot, all this week on what issues you would like to hear us address in 30 Issues in 30 Days in this fraught election year with so many issues at stake. Today, if you're in your 20s or younger, what is the most likely to inspire you to vote in the midterm elections? 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. I will say that we considered starting with 20s and 30s. We don't have many people who listen to this kind of show who are in your teens or even younger, but we also don't want to exclude you and we know sometimes get callers. If you're in your 20s or younger is how we're saying it, what's your top issue for the midterm elections? 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692.

Also, while age is the organizing demographic of this series of call-ins, we know it's obviously not the only one that affects what issues you tend to find relevant to your life. We really hope to get diversity within the age groups as well, Black listeners in your 20s or younger, Latino listeners in your 20s or younger, AAPI listeners in your 20s and younger, white listeners too. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate.

What issues are the most important to you? You can name just one if it's really one that's coming to mind for the midterm elections. Help us plan on midterm election series 30 Issues in 30 Days. 212-433-WNYC, 433-9692. I mentioned race. Same thing for listeners in different income groups or sexual or gender identities or any other groups, however, you see yourself, every person, every issue, welcome.

Not to lead you too much about what to bring up, we want you to generate that. One of the reasons we're asking by generation is that there are interesting differences by age that have been documented recently. For example, a Pew survey found younger voters are less likely to feel well represented by either political party or to see big differences between the political parties. It's also been documented that younger voters are more focused on climate change as an issue than older ones are, presumably because of the obvious fact that younger people will be around to deal with more of the worst effects as they come at us.

Also, by age, presumably young people are more affected by policies around student debt, and abortion rights. If you're in your childbearing years, maybe affordable housing and decline of the middle class. If it's true, as many economists say, that today's young Americans are finding it harder than their parents did to get an economic foothold, how does that affect what issue you focus on as a potential voter? Certainly, the pandemic has hit different generations differently, how important is that in your own political leanings right now? How important is January 6, and the state of democracy in your picking order of political priorities?

We had one tweet recently, for all I know, is just a pro-Trump plan, but it said, "You know, it's really only baby boomers who care about this January 6 stuff you keep talking about," but you tell us, if you're in your 20s or younger, what issues are most likely to inspire you to vote in the midterm elections? Or if you're under 18, what issues make you wish you could vote? Donna in Brooklyn, you're on WNYC. Hi, Donna. Thanks for calling in.

Donna: Hey, nice to call in, Brian. I'm 29 years old, a Latina, I'm also a queer person. The thing that's at the top of my list is education, specifically public education. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, went to public school. I'm a proud grad of Hunter College and the CUNY Grad Center. I'm also a public school teacher. Education is definitely what's on the forefront of my mind. To be honest, I've been voting since I was 18, don't plan on stopping.

Even when I was 18, and unlikely for people my age to be going out to vote, education was the thing that I was thinking of because it was something that was impacting my professors, something that was impacting my own future. Knowing that my school in particular, where I work at right now is going to be losing what is it like $1.6 million in funding for the next school year, that is definitely what is my focal point of what I'm looking for in the candidates that I'm going to vote for in this election.

Brian Lehrer: Donna, thank you for starting us off, education. Alia in Astoria, you're on WNYC. Hi, Alia.

Alia: Hi. I am 27. I'm also a Latina. I'm an afro, Latina. I'm also an abortion rights activist. I am very, very much concerned of keeping access for abortion, not only for the New York residents in the state but for people who are traveling outside of New York coming here. I know you said before that people in their 20s don't care about the January 6 committee, but I am very much keeping in tune of what's going on. When it comes to the midterms, not just in New York, I'm really paying attention to the midterms in other states, and how the state of democracy is just on the line not only just in New York but just across the country.

Brian Lehrer: I want to be really clear, I did not say that people in their 20s don't care about January 6. [chuckles] I said we had one tweet that alleged only baby boomers care about this issue, so you're debunking that tweeter.

Alia: Yes, I am gladly debunking it. Thank you.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you very much. Billy, in Bloomfield, you're on WNYC. Hi, Billy, thanks for calling in.

Billy: Hi, Brian. Thank you. First time, one time. I'm really excited to be on. I would first of all, like to echo Alia. Yes, I care a lot about January 6, it matters. Really, my number one issue is the codification of democratic norms and values into law. I think I've seen in the last year, that there's been so many things we've always taken for granted in our democratic system, of course, small-d democratic, that are actually just having faith in people to do the right thing. I think that, if the wrong people get into power who do not have the best interests of the country and do not have the moral obligation to uphold democracy, they won't, and we've seen that to be the case.

Brian Lehrer: That's one thing, but I think January 6, was not the first thing on your list when you spoke to our screener, right?

Billy: No. Certainly not. Another thing, climate action is so so so important. Student loan forgiveness or relief in some capacity as well as further expansions of the Affordable Care Act and ideally moving towards socialized medicine. All of those things are an absolute must for me in candidates.

Brian Lehrer: Billy, thank you very much for chiming in. If you're just joining us, we're taking calls for a few more minutes from people in your 20s or younger, on the question, what issues are most likely to inspire you to vote in the midterm elections? Or if you're under 18 even, what issues make you wish you could vote? 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. I think here's one of those callers who can't vote yet. Sam in Manhattan, you're on WNYC. Hey there, Sam.

Sam: Hi, Brian, I'm Sam Poole. I'm 15 years old. As I think I said in a tweet, I'm too young to vote, but I'm not too young to care or to volunteer. I'm in Upper Manhattan. One of the top two issues I'm really passionate about for this is for the election this year are climate and schools like one of the other callers said. I've been volunteering to reelect my State Senator Robert Jackson, who's been a true champion for public education.

With the New York City School's budget and flaws, I think it's critical that we have allies and city and state governments really willing to fight for the resources that me and my classmates and all public school students and teachers need to learn and teach. On climate, I think it's really critical that we pass the bill public renewables act at the state level, which will empower the New York City power authority to build an own renewable generation and sell it directly to consumers.

Obviously, the IRA has built up a lot of momentum and that's been awesome, but now we need to take advantage of it at the local level and set New York state and New York City up to be leaders in the green economy. I'm hoping we'll get to move towards those things this election cycle.

Brian: Sam, you are going to be so prepared to vote based on this phone call by the time you turn 18. Thank you for that. Sam even shouted, Sam even did a little electioneering for a particular candidate there, you might have noticed. Very interesting. Why not? Let's take another 15-year-old. Shane in Livingston, you're on WNYC. Hi, Shane.

Shane: Hi, it's so great to be here. I've been listening for a while but never been on the show.

Brian: What's your number one issue?

Shane: I just turned 15 about two weeks ago and I'm a youth climate activist. It was actually just a couple of days ago down in DC for a protest outside the White House. My biggest cause that I want to see in a candidate is not just determination for climate action, but seeing that they're determined for climate justice, meaning climate solutions that especially help support, lower-income communities, communities of color, or vulnerable communities.

There are a lot of other big issues that tie in intersectionally with the climate crisis like racial justice, economic justice, food security, the rights of the global south indigenous justice. I want to see climate action that not only brings in renewable energies and cuts down foster fuel emissions, but that also cut on carbon emissions, but that also supported-

Brian: Global climate justice.

Shane: -proportionately affected issues.

Brian: Shane, thank you so much. Glad you were a first-time caller, don't be a last-time caller. Jordan in Manhattan, you're on WNYC. Hi, Jordan.

Jordan: Hi. Glad to be here. I'm 27 years old and I have lived in New York City for 10 years. I think the thing that keeps me coming back is the accountability of our politicians, especially in the wake of the January 6th hearings like another caller alluded to and spoke about the reality of the lack of, I don't know, severity of the actions of our politicians and how it can be, whatever happens, goes.

As we look at the one-year anniversary of the Andrew Cuomo nonsense, I just am ready for the things that we speak about and the things that get us also riled up to go out to the streets and protest and whatever to actually come to fruition. I also work with kids and so the housing crisis feels really important to me, especially coming out of the pandemic. Not that it's over, but I just think that it's one thing to be a political icon, it's another thing to actually be the activist that you run your platform on.

Brian: Jordan, thank you so much. Jordan's going to get the last word on this first of our week-long series of callings pegged to the midterm election for callers of different generations. Thank you all of you who are in your teens and in your 20s for calling in today. Tomorrow, it'll be for people in their 30s and 40s as we're doing these callings to give you input and to ask for your help.

That was all very helpful, folks, who called in thank you so much in planning our midterm election series, 30 issues In 30 Days, which will begin next month. Tomorrow around the same time, if you're in your 30s and 40s, get ready to call in on your top voting issues for these midterm elections. That's the Brian Lehrer's Show for today, produced by Mary Croke, Lisa Allison, Amina Srna, and Carl Boisrond are interns this spring. This summer have been Amanda Rosen, Emily Lowinger, and Anna Vanarcha. Megan Ryan holds it all together as the head of live radio and Juliana Fonda at the audio controls.

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