Last year, roughly 50 percent of people under the age of 30 voted in the presidential election, an 11-point increase from 2016, according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University.

Abby Kiesa, CIRCLE’s deputy director, said young people will turn out to the polls even in an off-year election — as long as they are engaged. Turnout among young voters doubled in Virginia’s governor’s race between 2009 and 2017. But it’s up to campaigns to decide if they are going to put in the necessary resources to drive that turnout.

In 2020, half of young people ages 18-29 voted, according to research from Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts (CIRCLE), an 11-point jump from the 39% of young people ages 18-29 who voted in 2016.

The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University found in a 2020 poll that 31% of people ages 18 to 24 had participated in a march or demonstration, up from 5% in 2016.

Though half of young people ages 18-29 voted in 2020 according to research from Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts (CIRCLE), 60% of that age group cast a ballot for President Joe Biden, while only 36% voted for former President Donald Trump

“Institutionalizing proactive measures, which are so important for young people, who are moving more frequently and who may need reminders to update their registration because of their mobility rates, are the types of things we’re starting to see are correlated with higher voter turnout,” said CIRCLE's Kelly Beadle.

“We are coming off of historic highs, and sustaining that is going to be a challenge,” says CIRCLE's Kelly Beadle. “There is no silver bullet.”

An analysis, released last week by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University, found that young Asian Americans had one of the largest increases in voter participation last year of any racial or ethnic group.

Youth voter participation increased across the country in the 2020 election, according to an analysis by Tufts University’s Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. But South Carolina was below the national average, with 45 percent of eligible 18- to 29-year-olds casting a ballot.

CIRCLE Deputy Director Abby Kiesa shared some reflections on the 50th anniversary of the voting age being lowered to 18—and the ongoing work to make elections equitable and accessible to the youngest eligible voters.

"This is one of things that I think is really important for us to think about on this 26th amendment anniversary. It's amazing that young people are taking leadership and involving other young folks in issues that are critical to our nation," shared our Deputy Director Abby Kiesa.

Further increases may be in store for future elections, says CIRCLE Deputy Director Abby Kiesa. The 2020 increase was particularly outsized among 18- and 19-year-olds, suggesting they and the sub-18 voters who will come of age in 2022 and 2024 may bring a fresh surge in numbers centered on ever-younger voters.