In every state we're tracking, the youth share of the early vote is higher than in 2016, and in eight states youth have already cast more votes than the 2016 presidential margin of victory.
We spoke to community leaders about how they’ve adapted their strategies and messaging, embracing digital platforms to reach youth despite COVID-19.
Minnesota has had the strongest youth participation in the country in recent elections, and the youth vote could decide several House races in 2020.
However, in 16 states, registration among youth ages 18-19 is lower than in 2016, suggesting the pandemic may have hindered efforts to reach the youngest eligible voters
This is part of our Youth Expertise Series, in which young people use their experiences to speak about how we can improve youth civic engagement and civic life.
Data shows that, in recent presidential elections, young people made up their minds about who to vote for later than older voters.
Young people report benefits of participating in political activism on social media, but not all youth engage and benefit equally.
In half of the states ranked in the top 10 of our Youth Electoral Significance Index, at least a third of the population lives in rural areas.
Less than 10% of young Black voters cast ballots by mail in 2016, and Black youth in our survey were more likely to say they had not seen information on mail-in voting.