CIRCLE’s analysis of AP VoteCast data and election results from other news outlets suggests that Gen Z voters and millennials were pivotal in deciding the most competitive elections.

Young women, especially women of color, are much more Democratic than young men, according to Tufts University’s Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.

“I think that this is a shift that’s happening in young people seeing their power within a political system,” said CIRCLE elections coordinator Ruby Belle Booth.

CIRCLE's Alberto Medina says that, by not talking to youth, the Republican Party is "also not hearing from them and getting valuable input from young people on what they want to see from the Party.”

Gen Z’s actions indicate “that they really want to have a role and say in making change in their communities and in this country,” said Abby Kiesa, CIRCLE’s deputy director.

CIRCLE deputy director Abby Kiesa offers comprehensive commentary on youth voting in 2022, implications for the next presidential election, and for the future of youth civic engagement.

Another analysis conducted by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, found young Hispanic American voters under the age of 30 gave more support to Democrats on Election Day compared to young white voters.

Ruby Belle Booth, CIRCLE’s election coordinator, points out that young people step up when they know their vote matters: 16 percent of the young people who voted in the 2021 runoff had not voted in the November 2020 election, including 23 percent of Black youth.

This generation also appears to be more civically engaged. In a poll CIRCLE took before the 2020 election, 27 percent of young people aged 18 to 24 said they had attended a march or protest, up from 5 percent in pre-election 2016.

According to the Center For Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, abortion was the top issue influencing those under 30, and voters as a whole have given legislators a mandate to protect reproductive rights.

CIRCLE reported this month that even though people ages 18 to 29 who can vote tend to identify less with political parties than other age brackets, young adults who do select a party tend to affiliate with Democrats.

“Youth are increasing their electoral participation, leading movements, and making their voices heard on key issues that affect their communities,” according to analysis from CIRCLE.