Modest Increases in Youth Voter Registration Compared to 2022 Midterms
Authors: Yanlin Ren, Alberto Medina, Sam Searles
Contributors: Sara Suzuki
Ahead of National Voter Registration Day, there are 2% 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.
These estimates of changes in youth voter registration are based on a CIRCLE analysis of voter file data as of September 1, 2026. This is an update to our previous analysis, with data from July of this year, which also showed a very small increase (+1%) nationally. We compare the number of young people, ages 18-29, currently registered to vote to the same period in 2022—the most recent midterm election. We include data for 42 states for which reliable data by age is available.
While the overall trend shows a very small increase, there are notable and troubling differences in voter registration changes by race/ethnicity. Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) youth, who make up 5% of the voting-eligible youth population, have increased their voter registrations by 17%. Latino youth, who make up 22% of the potential youth electorate, have experienced a 6% increase. The number of white youth registered to vote increased 1%, but the number of young Black registrants has decreased by 9%. While there is still plenty of time to close that gap, it will take intentional efforts by organizations and campaigns to reach Black youth and support their voter registration.
Major Differences by State
Twenty-five out of the 42 states for which we have data have more youth registered to vote now than in September 2022. Most of those states have experienced relatively modest increases, with much larger surges in states like South Dakota (+35%), Utah (+28%), Minnesota (+25%), and New Mexico (+24%).
While states like Minnesota and Nevada have historically had above-average voter turnout and have strong policy frameworks to support youth voter registration, the increase in a state like New Mexico is especially notable. The state usually has one of the lowest youth voter turnout rates in the country, but since introducing automatic voter registration in July 2025, registrations have been increasing. Of note, our July 2026 estimates showed New Mexico with a 16% increase, but the September data shows an increase of 24%.
At the other end of the spectrum, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Kentucky, Maine, Tennessee, and Florida are lagging farthest behind their 2022 youth voter registration numbers: all six states have double-digit decreases compared to the past midterms. Most of these states have had below-average youth voter turnout in recent elections. Maine’s inclusion among this group is noteworthy, both because the state usually has high youth voter turnout and because it has highly competitive 2026 elections where young people can have a decisive impact. In fact, our Youth Electoral Significance Index ranks the Maine Senate race as the #1 Senate election in the country that could be decided by young voters.
Registration of Newly Eligible Voters Is Still Dragging
Among youth ages 18-19—who are newly eligible voters since the last general election—the trend is slightly different. As of September 1, there are 1% fewer 18- and 19-year olds registered to vote nationally than in September 2022—though reliable data for this age group is limited to just 22 states.
Notably, there are no major differences in youth voter registration change by gender among either the 18-19 or the full 18-29 age group. In our 2026 pre-election youth survey, young women were more likely than young men to say that they would vote in the midterms.
Despite the overall decrease, among the 22 states for which we have ages 18-19 data, 14 have more youth registered to vote now than in 2022. Because this is a much smaller age group, the percentage-change increases or decreases can be more dramatic. There are major increases in states like Massachusetts (+84%), Virginia (+56%), Montana (+42%), Washington (+42%), Ohio (+33%), and West Virginia (22%). That is a positive development—especially for states like Ohio and West Virginia that tend to have below-average youth turnout.
On the other hand, major decreases in other states are concerning—especially in populous states where hundreds of thousands of 18- and 19-year-olds are eligible to vote. Indiana (-57%), Texas (-47%), Alabama, (-46%), and New Jersey (-33%) all have significantly fewer young people in that age group registered to vote now than at this point in the 2022 cycle. These major decreases in states like Texas account for the overall decrease in our national estimate, and underscored that there is major work to do by organizations that want to tap into the electoral power of the 8 million newly eligible voters that could cast ballots in 2026.
Explore the data for both the 18-19 and 18-29 age groups below.
About the data: This analysis reports on the percentage change in youth voter registration—not the voter registration rate. For example, if there were 5,000 young people registered in the previous midterm cycle, and there are 6,000 now, we would report that as a 20% increase. The data captures and compares two snapshots in time: in this case, September 2022 and September 2026. It is dependent on when each state updates its voter files, which can vary widely by state.
CIRCLE will continue to track youth voter registration throughout the election cycle and update this analysis later as new data becomes available.
