The Countdown: Gen Z, why they vote and Amy v Hillary memes

There are eight days to go and not everybody in Gen Z can vote, but the latest figures show many of those who can have voted early - what is driving them?

Zoomers and Boomers go vote

This election promises to be a unique generational match-up. Our reporter Holly Honderich looked at the numbers:

Reuters

Boomers (aged 56-74) and the elder Silent Generation (75 and older) have always had the edge in elections, as voter turnout tends to increase with age.

But early numbers show youth turnout far outpacing that of past presidential contests.

Take Florida, a key battleground state - as of 21 October, 257,720 voters aged 18-29 had already cast their ballot, which is a more than fivefold increase from 2016.

This matters and the number of people who have already voted is already greater than the margin of victory in 2016.

About one-in-10 eligible voters are now Generation Z (aged 18-23). In 2020, for the first time, Gen Zers and the Millennials above them (aged 24-39) will match Boomers and prior generations as a share of all eligible voters.

If they really do turn out it is likely they will lean left. Their views on climate change, racial justice and immigration are consistently liberal, research by Pew shows.

A sense of urgency drove the young voters we spoke to

A'Kayla has already voted. She thinks things are getting critical:

"We cannot continue to have the race relations that we have without building some kind of unity and I feel like [Joe Biden and Kamala Harris] are the symbol of peace and hope for our future; if not, things are going to continue to go downhill."

Gabriel feels motivated by Donald Trump but will vote on election day, not before:

"We as a country all prosper together and I would like to continue to see that progress, and to see what new lengths and new heights we can be brought to as a country together."

Latim, an immigrant from Uganda who recently became a citizen, voted early:

"The country's democracy is at stake. The behaviours of the current president must alarm any American citizen who cares about the country's future."

Amy Coney Barrett v Hillary Clinton memes

Getty Images

Amy Coney Barrett is set to be confirmed to the Supreme Court later on Monday - an event being celebrated by conservatives on social media, who are enjoying the irony that it's also Hillary Clinton's birthday.

They have been sharing a meme of Judge Barrett holding up an empty notepad edited with an image that Ms Clinton tweeted in 2016 of herself as a young girl sending birthday wishes to "this future president".

This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post by Students For Trump

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy and privacy policy before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Mrs Clinton's opposition to Amy Coney Barrett's nomination is unsurprising - she has taken the Democratic line that a new justice should not be appointed in an election year.

There are plenty of supporters celebrating Mrs Clinton and her achievements on her birthday, but she has remained a target for many Republicans and conservatives. Chants of "Crooked Hillary" can still be heard at Mr Trump's rallies.

Commentators wonder why Republicans still talk about her so much. Just last week her daughter Chelsea Clinton told a talk show that the president appears to be "obsessed with her", suggesting this was because Mrs Clinton won the popular vote in 2016.

More on this story