As the 2024 elections approach, the Young Communist League USA, alongside numerous progressive youth organizations, recognizes the deep stakes for young people. In recent years, our youth and student movements have experimented with a diverse set of tactics to grow our power — our involvement in elections being one of them. In recent elections, we have demonstrated our collective power by delivering decisive margins to block MAGA’s far-right agenda. This November, we have a strategic opportunity to deliver another decisive blow against the reactionary forces threatening our future.

In recent elections, we have demonstrated our collective power by delivering decisive margins to block MAGA’s far-right agenda. This November, we have a strategic opportunity to deliver another decisive blow against the reactionary forces threatening our future.

This far-right agenda, known as Project 2025, spearheaded by corporate conservative groups such as the Heritage Foundation and high-ranking Republicans with fascist aims, seeks to transform the country into an open right-wing dictatorship. The plan includes cutting taxes for the ultra-wealthy, weaponizing the Department of Justice against political opponents, and purging the federal government of anyone who isn’t a MAGA loyalist or conservative ideologue. It aims to systematically reverse hard-won democratic gains for people of color, women, and LGBTQ+ individuals, and others over the past two centuries.

It does this by proposing to reinstate crippling student loans and eliminate the Department of Education, deport millions while militarizing the border, ban abortion medication while pushing for a 50-state abortion ban, and rescinding legal protections that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Furthermore, it intends to dismantle climate regulations to expand fossil fuel use and weaken worker rights by placing the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) under the control of corporate interests like the Koch brothers.

Defeating Project 2025 and Trump’s MAGA movement is essential.

Defeating Project 2025 and Trump’s MAGA movement is essential. But our commitment to opposing MAGA fascism must not blind us to where the Democratic administration continues to fall short. As part of a generation committed to peace, democracy, and progress, we are concerned by the ongoing genocidal war in Gaza and the continuation of Trump-era immigration policies. These issues which represent retreats to reaction threaten the anti-fascist unity that we, as youth organizers, have worked hard to build.

With our futures at stake, it is essential that we join forces with the growing coalition of anti-fascist youth to defend and deepen our democracy. Our collective action is essential not only to combat the rise of fascism but also to build the foundation on which we shape our future — a future where socialism is not just a slogan but a reality.

This election is about more than just choosing leaders; it’s about choosing who we want to fight and under what conditions.

This election is about more than just choosing leaders; it’s about choosing who we want to fight and under what conditions. As the generation that will face the long-term consequences of this election, we have a profound responsibility to act with urgency and clarity to make the most of the political moment. The stakes are extremely high and that’s precisely why we say that while voting is a crucial tool in our arsenal, we understand that it is only one part of our broader strategy for social change.

To this end, our YCLs must mobilize on multiple fronts. In the short term, we should prioritize organizing voter registration drives and ensuring high youth turnout, particularly in key battleground states where our impact can make the most difference.

Beyond the ballot box, we must commit to sustained grassroots organizing around the issues at the local, state, and national level. This involves working closely with other progressive youth organizations to build a broad united front against MAGA’s fascist agenda. Engaging in mass struggles, such as participating in protests and engaging in non-violent civil disobedience, are also vital for confronting and exposing the fascist danger while simultaneously strengthening our movements. Through these efforts, we show our unwavering commitment to the fight against fascism, both in the streets and at the ballot box.

We stand at a pivotal crossroads where the actions we take today will shape the society we inherit tomorrow.

We stand at a pivotal crossroads where the actions we take today will shape the society we inherit tomorrow. By uniting with the emerging anti-fascist youth impulse, our collective efforts can and will win issues such as Gaza, labor, student debt, racial justice, immigration, LGBT equality, women’s rights, and more. As Election Day approaches, we must build a broad anti-fascist youth front and work towards a future that reflects our core belief: blocking the far-right is the first step towards building a socialist future.