Almost every election season, stories swirl around the possibility of young voters flooding the polls and changing the outcome of an election.

This election season is no different — but it also kind of is.

Vice President and Democratic Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris has made it a point to focus her campaign on Gen Z, starting with a big social media push that started immediately after President Joe Biden dropped his bid for re-election. 

The meme-ification of Harris, the slogan ‘Kamala is BRAT,’ and the various influencers at the Democratic National Convention are all indicative of the Harris’ campaign efforts to reach young voters.

But the appeal for Gen Z doesn’t stop online. In Southern Arizona it hits very close to home, since the Harris campaign recently hired a native Tucsonan and Gen Z-er to lead its local campaign efforts.

Despite Patrick Robles’ young age, his extensive political experience makes the young leader uniquely positioned to take on the role. 

Robles was born and raised on Tucson’s south side and has years of political experience. He’s worked for Pima County Supervisor Ramón Valadez, Pima County Attorney Laura Conover and Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs. 

Now, Robles is working as the Harris-Walz campaign’s Southern Arizona political director.

“It's just been this sort of natural progression since I was 16 when I first stepped into the fold here in local government and politics to advocate for the issues that I cared about,” he said. “That was my real training, whether it was working for my county supervisor, working for the county attorney, serving as student body president of the University of Arizona or working at the governor's office.”

His previous roles included work as a community outreach liaison. But even before it was a job, he was consistently on the frontline, advocating for issues that affect his community.

In 2018, he advocated for a crosswalk in front of his high school. He later led the successful fight for fare-free transit during his time as UA’s student body president.

“I'm only 23, but started when I was 16, that's eight years I've been working in the community,” he said. “That's something that I don't take for granted because within those eight years I’ve had deeply held relationships with elected officials who weren't elected officials when I first met them, with community leaders and activists who were just getting their start. So I'm young, but I've got deep relationships.”

As the region’s political director, Robles works tirelessly –– sometimes 12-hour days –– to organize local events that promote the Harris campaign. 

Last month, the campaign held an event at Snakes and Lattes on University Avenue, clearly aimed at young voters. Speakers included representatives from student organizations, including Keep Arizona Blue and Arizona Young Democrats, and special guest, Gen-Z Florida Representative Maxwell Frost.

Frost has made waves online for becoming the first Gen-Z representative in Congress and being outspoken on issues like the housing crisis and gun violence. He’s been touring college campuses for the Harris-Walz campaign to talk about the importance of getting young voters to vote.. 

“Don’t give me the (line) that young people aren’t voting. Young people are voting,” Frost said. “But just like anything else, we can do better. And that’s where we all come in, where you all come in as students on this campus.” 

Young voters have historically had the lowest turnout rate, but the 2020 and 2022 elections saw a significant increase in young voter participation. Those years saw the first- and second-highest voter turnout for this demographic group in 30 years. 

Using his age as an asset, Robles said he’ll continue to create avenues and spaces for young voters to get involved with the Harris campaign and cast their vote for her in November. 

He also plans to work with community leaders to engage the Hispanic, Indigenous, Black and LGBTQ communities, as well as rural and border communities. Robles has held events focusing on housing affordability and the Affordable Care Act and recently held a watch party for the presidential debate. 

Robles said that to him, this is more than a job. This is about the future, and he has great aspirations for what he can accomplish in Southern Arizona. 

“I'm going to continue to operate in this role in my true authentic self within the context,” he said. “I'm not just a coconut, right? I didn’t just fall from a coconut tree, I'm operating under the context in which I exist.”

Susan Barnett is Deputy Editor of Tucson Spotlight and a graduate student at the University of Arizona. She previously worked for La Estrella de Tucson. Contact her at susan@tucsonspotlight.org.