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CIRCLE's postdoctoral researcher Sara Suzuki talks about the role of climate activism, its importance to young people as an issue, and its potential impact on the 2022 midterm elections.

CIRCLE data on youth voter turnout in recent elections adds context to this article about the importance of young people to the upcoming 2022 midterm elections.

Some 8.3 million voters who turned 18 since the previous general election in 2020 are eligible to vote in this year's elections, according to the non-partisan Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement at Tufts University.

Young people were often dismissed as "unlikely voters," says Alberto Medina, spokesman for Tufts University's Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. But "this is a generation that has really arrived, in terms of their political power and participation.

Participation was even higher for young Nevada voters in 2020, CIRCLE estimates, with 53% turnout from the 18-29 age group and 61% turnout from voters 19 and younger.

"I think that there are definitely promising signs, especially in such a competitive atmosphere, that young people will show up and make their voice heard at the ballot box," said Peter de Guzman, an associate researcher at CIRCLE.

According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University, both Michigan and Arizona have more registered youth now than they did in 2018.

A September analysis from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement found that voter registration among 18- and 19-year-olds is down compared with November 2018.

"Because young Georgians prefer Democratic candidates by so much, they end up -- if they turn out in big numbers -- really impacting the election," CIRCLE's Ruby Belle Booth told AFP.