The Youth Vote in 2026
Nearly 50 million young people (ages 18-29) are eligible to vote in the 2026 midterms—a major potential force in shaping electoral outcomes and the future of our democracy.
CIRCLE's research on young voters in 2026 highlights young people's political views, attitudes, and likelihood to participate. In addition to key insights from youth surveys, we share our exclusive Youth Electoral Significance Index rankings of the 2026 races where young voters can have a decisive impact on the outcome. We're also tracking state-by-state youth voter registration, and in November we'll share data on how young people showed up at the ballot box.
2026 Election Youth Survey
The 50 Million: Gen Z’s Power, Priorities, and Participation
Ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, CIRCLE partnered with When We All Vote to release key findings from a national youth survey of young people's political views, party identification, issue priorities, and access to information.
More Youth Survey Data and Insights
Tracking Youth Voter Registration
There are 1% 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.
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.
