United States Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) joined Penn Democrats at a tabling event on Oct. 24 to emphasize the importance of youth voter engagement in Pennsylvania.
Frost visited Penn to encourage young voters to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris and spoke with The Daily Pennsylvanian about how Generation Z and college students can influence the outcome of the 2024 election — highlighting the on-the-ground efforts of the Harris-Walz campaign.
“Part of what I’ve been doing is traveling the country, really engaging with young organizers, volunteers, and activists … [and] really making sure that students are pumped up about this election,” he said. “Because Gen Z is really going to be the deciding factor here in Pennsylvania.”
Frost — while speaking to students on Locust Walk — also stressed the importance of the state of Pennsylvania as a swing state in the election. He highlighted the importance of providing resources and bolstering the voices of peers in persuading other students to vote.
“The best thing we can do is resource and make sure that folks on campus and the organizers here on the ground have what they need to do their job,” he told the DP. “Nothing’s more powerful than a student speaking to another student, right — friends, speaking to friends, getting them out to go vote.”
Frost — the first member of Generation Z to serve in Congress — is one of 50 Democratic lawmakers on the Harris-Walz campaign’s national advisory board. Created in 2023, the board aimed to support former Benjamin Franklin Presidential Professor of Practice and President Joe Biden’s reelection efforts before transferring to the Harris campaign in July following Biden’s withdrawal from the race.
Frost contrasted Harris’ campaign with that of former President and 1968 Wharton graduate Donald Trump in voter engagement, highlighting campaign stops made across Pennsylvania by different surrogates of the Harris-Walz campaign.
“[Trump is] taking his voters for granted,” Frost said. “[Harris is] not taking that for granted. We’re reaching out to [voters] and making sure that we’re keeping that relationship, all the way down until when you pass the ballot.”
Penn Dems President and College junior Ellie Goluboff-Schragger expressed enthusiasm about Frost’s visit and hoped to “energize people on Locust [and] energize Penn Dems members” as Election Day nears.
“We are going to be out here on Locust tabling every single day,” she said. “We have a lot going on for the days before the election.”
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
Donate