Young People Will March For Our Lives in 2024 — This Time to the Ballot Box

David Hogg
·4-min read

Six years ago a gunman entered my high school in Parkland, Florida, and shot and killed 17 people and wounded 17 more. At the time, Donald Trump was in the middle of his presidency. Days after he expressed potential support for gun safety laws, the NRA called him up and he reversed himself. No one offered us more than thoughts and prayers. It was up to us, young people, to March For Our Lives.

Since then, we’ve done more than march and accomplished what most thought was impossible. We passed the first federal gun safety law in three decades, created the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, and just this summer, the U.S. Surgeon General finally declared gun violence a public health crisis.

This is real progress that has translated into real results and lives saved. While gun-related deaths increased by 34 percent under Trump and he bragged about doing “nothing”, we’re now seeing a historic decline in gun violence, with gun deaths down by nearly 20 percent since 2021. Violent crime is also down and the murder rate is on track for its largest annual decline ever.

This is not accidental. It was made possible by the tremendous efforts of survivors, activists, and young people, who elected gun violence prevention candidates, held them accountable, and made their voices heard.

While I wish I could say our work is finished, guns still remain the number one cause of death for kids and young people. And on November 5th, all of our progress is on the line. Our lives are once again on the line.

The country that young people like me will soon inherit stands at the precipice — on one side, authoritarianism that threatens our freedoms, future, and our right to live freely without gun violence; on the other, a world with opportunity, where we can keep fighting to build the future that we deserve.

The stakes couldn’t be higher and the contrast couldn’t be more clear.

This unprecedented moment calls for unprecedented action, which is why March For Our Lives endorsed our first-ever candidate for public office, Vice President Kamala Harris for president of the United States. We have always been ready and willing to work with whoever was ready to fight for our lives. But it’s clear that not everyone cares to keep kids alive. Only one candidate has told survivors to “just get over it” after a school shooting, and only one candidate is dedicated to treating gun violence like a real emergency.

At a time when America faces growing authoritarianism, far-right leaders in the halls of power, and a gun violence epidemic that is ravaging our communities, we need champions up and down the ballot who will fight for our lives.

The task ahead is a tall one. It’s no secret that young people have been pessimistic this past year. But the script is now flipped. Polling shows a surge in youth voter enthusiasm since Harris took over the ticket, with young people showing up in ways we haven’t seen since the first March For Our Lives in 2018.

I’m seeing with my own eyes, amongst my own peers, the excitement and renewed hope that young people have for our future. You can see the energy on social media, at campaign events, and even in youth voter registration numbers. And if I know anything, it’s that when young people are energized, we don’t lose. Since March For Our Lives was founded, we’ve helped drive youth voter turnout to record highs –– and polling increasingly shows that the 2024 election will be no exception.

This is real hope for real change, and it can power a real difference in this election. As President Biden has often said, this election is a battle for the soul of our nation and the future we want to create. Young people have the power to shape this future, and once again, the power to make a difference this election cycle. And we’re more motivated than ever to get out and beat back fascism.

That’s why I’m calling on all young people to join us in this fight.

The journey we’ve embarked on since Parkland has shown us the power of collective action. We’ve witnessed firsthand how our voices, when united, can bring about meaningful change. It’s time to come together one again to make our voices heard and to show that we are a force to be reckoned with.

As we look towards November 5th, let’s remember the power we hold. Let’s remember that our vote can be the difference between going back and moving forward, between fear and hope, between a future dictated by a few and a future shaped by all of us, and a country where none of us are at risk of being shot and where our futures are prioritized.

Let’s march for our lives once again, this time to the ballot box.

David Hogg is a co-founder and board member of March for Our Lives, a youth-led organization dedicated to ending the gun violence epidemic in America.

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