Gen Z voters weigh abortion policy and more news from the states

Hello, readers! Welcome to our Thursday edition of Daybreak. 

The attorneys general of eight states are separately suing OpenAI over its ChatGPT feature, saying it violates state consumer fraud protections and endangers children, our Iowa newsroom reports.

In Alabama, the Lowndes County Commission unexpectedly approved a 20-year, $1.15 billion tax break for the state’s largest planned data center development amid concerns and pushback from residents. 

And this Saturday, organizers across hundreds of advocacy groups will pull together thousands of events nationwide to encourage early voting in this year’s midterm elections as part of the No Kings movement. Read our national preview from States Newsroom’s D.C. Bureau here.

Maine: More than 250 people sent a letter to Democratic Attorney General Aaron Frey requesting that his office investigate corruption allegations against Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins.

Florida: ​​A federal appeals court panel has ruled that the state’s 2024 law restricting access to social media for teens is likely constitutional and can continue to be enforced while a legal challenge continues.

Maryland: Democratic Gov. Wes Moore offered his support for proposed legislation that would allow the state to more quickly reduce the price of some expensive drugs for non-Medicare recipients by piggybacking on the federally negotiated price limits under Medicare. 

New Hampshire: Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte called for a program to provide free tuition for community college students with a total family income of up to $100,000, and said she would add such a proposal in her budget if reelected.

Utah: A federal judge has issued a preliminary ruling blocking the Trump administration from moving the U.S. Forest Service’s headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City while the rest of the lawsuit over the relocation plays out in court.

West Virginia: State Supreme Court justices heard arguments about a judge who pushed back on his discipline for speaking out about critical Child Protective Services shortages in his judicial district.

See the rest of the news of the day from all 50 states, plus our D.C. Bureau and Stateline, on News From The States.

Boise State University senior Cade Syvock opposes abortion. But he’s not spending much time this fall campaigning against an Idaho ballot initiative that would restore abortion access. Not for lack of interest — but because of pressing economic issues he’d rather be working on.

In Idaho and Missouri, where voters will decide the future of abortion access on Nov. 3, campaigns are trying to reach a generation dealing with rising living costs and skepticism toward politics. For some young voters, abortion remains a defining issue. But for many others, it ranks behind more immediate economic concerns, Stateline reports.

Idaho’s initiative would restore abortion access. Missouri’s measure seeks to reinstate a near-total ban jettisoned by voters two years ago.

People pushing for and against both measures are making their appeals to young voters, using social media and canvassing to increase turnout on Election Day, but they’re competing against other issues for Generation Z’s attention.

In most elections, it’s difficult for campaigns to achieve high turnout among young voters, especially in between presidential election cycles. Less than half of the 40 million Gen Z Americans between ages 18 and 29 who were eligible to vote in 2024 cast a ballot, a study by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University found. This year, the number of eligible Gen Z-age voters is estimated at nearly 50 million.

When Cassandra Henderson returned to Dillard Junior High School, memories from her time there decades ago came roaring back. Nearly 60 years after graduating in 1968, Henderson is back — this time as a resident of the former school, which has been transformed into dozens of affordable apartments for seniors, NC Newsline reports. 

After years of living in Richmond, Virginia, Henderson wanted to return to Yanceyville, North Carolina, where she had family and friends. But finding a place to live made that difficult. The redevelopment gave her a path to come home. 

For other older North Carolinians, developments like Dillard are addressing the growing challenge of finding housing that fits a limited budget as rising rents and other expenses compete with fixed retirement income and Social Security benefits. 

Dillard School Property Manager Charity James said the community has few affordable housing complexes, and even fewer for seniors. She said when the property started leasing last year, there were more applicants than units available, leading to long waitlists. 

Dillard School was designed to address at least part of that need. Its 53 apartments include studios and one-bedroom units, with rent based on residents’ incomes. Residents pay up to 30% of their income toward rent, with the remaining cost covered by federal housing funding.