The Youth Vote in 2026
Young voters are poised to have a major impact on the 2026 midterm elections.
Nearly 50 million youth ages 18-29 are eligible to vote in the midterms. Eight million are newly eligible voters for whom this will be their first national election. And they can decide dozens of races across the country: CIRCLE’s Youth Electoral Significance Index projects that the youth vote could be pivotal to election results in Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, and many other states and congressional districts.
As part of our work to understand young people’s participation in our democracy, we’re tracking the impact of the youth vote. Starting on Election Night, we’ll share timely data and insights on youth vote choice, their top issues, and the races they helped decide. We’ll break down data by race/ethnicity, gender, education, etc. And we’ll provide an exclusive estimate of youth voter turnout in the 2026 midterm elections.
Bookmark this page and check back soon! And explore our pre-election data and analyses below.
Pre-Election: 2026 Youth Survey
Pre-Election: Tracking Youth Voter Registration
As of late October 2026, there are 3% more young people registered to vote in the 2026 midterms than there were in 2022, a small positive sign about youth engagement ahead of the November election. But there are major differences by race/ethnicity and state that underscores there's still a lot of work to do to reach young voters.
Explore the data for all youth (ages 18-29) and for newly eligible voters (ages 18-19) on the chart and at the link below.
Pre-Election: Youth Vote Race Rankings
CIRCLE's 2026 Youth Electoral Significance Index (YESI) ranks the races where young voters can have the biggest impact in this November's U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and gubernatorial elections.
