Youth Voter Registration Rates Increase Ahead of the 2026 Midterms
Executive Summary
The Civics Center estimates that 42% of 18-year-olds across the United States are registered for November’s midterm elections, a significant increase compared to the summer of 2022, when only 35% were ready to vote in that November midterm. We reached this figure of 42% based on data from voter files across 39 states, as of Spring 2026. In contrast, 82% of voters aged 45 to 79 are registered
This documented change since the last midterm summer amounts to a 7-percentage-point gain this year compared to 2022. In that year, the registration rate for 18-year-olds rose 9 percentage points between summer and Election Day, reaching a high of 44% registered. That suggests there is an opportunity for this summer’s 42% rate to rise significantly in the next four months; a 9-point increase this year would bring our estimated rate of 18-year-old registration to 51% nationally and add more than 350,000 18-year-olds to the voter files.
Key findings
Since the summer of 2022, 21 states have shown a greater than 5-percentage-point gain in registration rates of 18-year-olds. Five have seen dramatic increases of more than 20 percentage points, with Minnesota first with a massive 58-point gain. The other four big gainers are Illinois, Michigan, New Mexico and Virginia. The remaining 16 states that have seen a 5+-point rise are Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont. Nine more have had increases of between 2 and 4.9 points.
Erosion is possible, just as much as improvement. As most states are moving towards helping teens register to vote, we have seen some decline. Texas is down a remarkable 13 percentage points, potentially stemming from administrative challenges in the state that have resulted in serious delays in the processing of voter registration forms. Idaho and Rhode Island have each seen a 2-point decline.
The significance and the speed of these changes, as well as the variations between states, helps to demonstrate that the issue of low turnout is not based on apathy among young people. It reflects the systems and traditions, communications channels, education, and platforms that reach and engage them - or fail to do so. These results show that large changes in youth political participation are possible.
Today, with the midterms on the horizon, there is an immediate possibility to increase the registration rate for 18-year-olds well above 42%. The earliest registration deadlines begin in early October, and Election Day is November, leaving 2-3 months in which to act.
In 2022, 30 states showed a greater than 5-percentage-point increase over roughly the same time period, with Maine, Michigan, Kansas, and Georgia each gaining more than 15 points. In general, the states with the greatest gains during this period were those with highly competitive races for statewide office or ballot measures such as those concerning abortion rights.
We know that new registrations for the youngest voters spike dramatically in the runup to elections, particularly in a presidential year. Our New York chart below illustrates the trend.
We are on track for seeing the highest level of 18-year-old voter registration in any midterm election we have tracked to date.
The enormous changes we have already seen since 2022 are likely attributable to multiple factors including:
suppressed registration in 2022 due to the pandemic;
enormous gains in some states that improved their registration systems;
greater awareness of preregistration and organizing in high schools.
At the same time, voter suppression efforts in certain states have likely led to deterioration or held back even more robust increases.
The degree to which these numbers will increase further depends not on predictions or trends or fate. It depends on whether we take action today to help young people understand the importance of democracy, the right to vote, and organizing their peers.
Free and fair elections mean elections that are free and fair for all. That means high turnout, and turnout starts with registration.
What you can do to help
Encourage teens to register, to get ready to vote, and to run a drive in their schools. Our interactive map starts the process to get them what they need.
Share our resources with educators who can work with teens to make voter registration part of high school life. We have toolkits, lesson plans, data, and reliable election information.
Donate and encourage your network to donate so that we can raise awareness and provide support to students and educators who want to make a difference by leading voter registration drives in high schools this fall, a critical time.
Process
For most states we use data from a commercial vendor derived from official voter files, as well as data from the American Community Survey. We do not have registration information from which we can estimate registration rates for 18-year-olds for the following states: Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Mississippi or Delaware. Based on the relatively low population of these states, which together account for roughly 10 percent of all registered voters in the US, and the information we do have from the 39 states from which we have been able to obtain data, we do not expect that additional information from these states would substantially change our estimates. North Dakota does not require voter registration.
Our methodology for estimating registration rates for 18-year-olds is here.
Prior national estimates provided by TCC have relied on Census data. Based on Census data, historically, under 30% of 18-year-olds have been registered to vote, and roughly 75% of 45+ have been registered.
We believe the 42% rate and 82% rates we are reporting today for 18-year-olds and 45+ are more reliable than the ACS data, which are based on self-reporting rather than official registration records. While ACS data suggested a 45-point gap between registration rates for 18-year-olds and older voters, voter files point to a somewhat smaller, while still enormous registration gap separating 18-year-olds and older voters, 40 percentage points versus 45. And regardless, were the election held today, 2.5 million or more 18-year olds would be disenfranchised due to lack of registration.