One Week Away: Registrations Surge Among Newly Eligible Voters
Authors: Yanlin Ren, Alberto Medina, Sam Searles
Contributors: Sara Suzuki
With one week to go before the 2026 midterm elections, there are now 3% more youth (ages 18-29) registered to vote than there were at a similar time before the 2022 midterms. And among newly eligible voters ages 18-19, there is an even larger increase: +8%.
These estimates of changes in youth voter registration are based on a CIRCLE analysis of voter file data as of October 19, 2026. This is an update to our previous analysis, with data from September of this year, which had also shown a small (+2%) increase nationally compared to September of 2022. 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. Note: Some states had not updated their voter file data since September; therefore our estimates reflect the latest available data.
While the overall trend shows a small but noteworthy 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 19%. Latino youth, who make up 22% of the potential youth electorate, have experienced an 8% increase. The number of white youth registered to vote increased 2%, but the number of young Black registrants has decreased by 8%.
There is also a very slight difference by gender: the number of registered young men is up 2%, compared to 1% among young women. Because we are comparing these numbers to the past election cycle, that does not mean there are more young men than young women registered to vote. But the difference is notable because young men have had lower voter turnout rates than young women in recent election cycles.
Major Differences by State
Twenty-nine 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 (+38%), Utah (+29%), New Mexico (+27%), and Minnesota (+26%).
While states like Minnesota 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.
At the other end of the spectrum, Louisiana, Florida, Massachusetts, West Virginia, and Kentucky are lagging farthest behind their 2022 youth voter registration numbers. These states have also had below-average youth voter turnout in recent elections. It is notable that states like Michigan, Kansas, Iowa and Ohio are also behind compared to 2022—all four states have top-ranked races in our Youth Electoral Significance Index that quantifies where elections could be decided by young voters. That does not necessarily mean youth registration is weak there, but that it has regressed slightly compared to the past midterm cycle.
Registration of Newly Eligible Voters Surges
there were 1% fewer 18- and 19-year olds registered to vote nationally than in September 2022. A surge in youth voter registrations among that age group, compared to 2022, has now changed that trend. As of late October, there are 8% more youth ages 18-19 registered to vote than in the past midterm election. However, we note that, for this age group, we only have reliable data for 22 states.
According to our estimates, the vast majority (19) of those 22 states now have more 18- and 19-year-olds registered to vote than they did in 2022. Only Kansas, Texas, and New Jersey have lower voter registration among this age group. Because it is a much smaller age group, some percentage-change increases or decreases can be more dramatic—especially in smaller states with lower populations or states that previously had very low youth registration. There are major increases in states like South Carolina (+177%), Tennessee (+85%), Indiana (+65%), Alabama (+38%), Montana (+36%), and Virginia (35%). That is a positive development; many of these states have had below-average youth turnout in recent elections, so increases in voter registration could signal potential improvement.
While the voter registration deadline has now passed in many states, in others with same-day voter registration young people can still participate in the upcoming election. In those states, there is still time to reach and register youth; in others, the task is now to mobilize and support young registered voters so that they will follow through and cast their ballot in the 2026 midterm elections.
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.
