In the 2022 Midterm elections, the Democratic party won over the Republican party by two states. At first glance, this sounds like an unsurprising result, but what’s unusual is that this election had one of the highest youth voter turnouts in history. This might mark the beginning of an important-potential trend, a change in marketing and advertising, as well as the increase in urgency felt by stakeholders of key issues of racial and gender equality. Additionally, the unprecedented increase in voter turnout among young voters is attributable to bolstered civic education, voters recognizing the marginal value of individual votes, amplified feelings of urgency, and intentional investments in youth get out the vote operations. The increase in voter turnout among young people can unleash lasting change in the American political landscape, given the historically low rates of turnout among young people. Consequently, examining the mechanisms that have unleashed unprecedented levels of turnout can provide a perspective on the future of our nation. 

First of all, last year’s high youth turnout represents the culmination of civic education programs in high schools and colleges across the nation, especially those emphasizing the importance of voting as a civic duty and participation in our democracy. In this midterm election, youth turnout was the second highest in three decades (Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement/CIRCLE). There has been a huge push of advertising the past years, and educational institutions have recently stressed the idea that “your vote is your voice.” For example, in 2021, Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation requiring civic education for public middle schools; this bill ensured that children are taught from an early age that “youth should be involved in exercising the hard-fought right to vote and help make change” (nj.gov). As the importance of participatory democracy, particularly voting, becomes more commonplace in our curriculums, youth voter turnout should continue to increase. In particular, the success of civic education in schools have helped educate the youth on recent events, inspiring the newest generation of voters to exercise their civic duties as a way of concretely making a difference. 

In addition, young voters are becoming increasingly aware of how every vote counts in close races; this belief that their vote could be the deciding one in the future of policy is pushing them to the polls. Younger generations are realizing that every vote counts and that every single voice matters–pushing them to vote. For example, in the close, highly publicized Pennsylvania governor’s race, young people contributed a significant 120,000 votes to John Fetterman’s 190,000 vote margin of victory (CIRCLE). These past years, there has been an increase in closer races in swing states, with seven swing states in the presidential election won by less than two points; key battleground states also received a higher percentage of youth turnout (Brookings Institute). In this way, the trend towards much closer races has increased the importance of every vote; recognizing this, young voters are increasingly motivated to contribute their crucial voice. 

The amplified feelings of urgency surrounding recent events, such as the repeal of abortion rights and the COVID-19 pandemic, also may play a large role in the voting decisions of the youth in the recent elections. Significant issues for both sides, including climate change and police brutality, factor in a sense of urgency, and make citizens realize that every vote counts. Recent events, such as the overturning of Roe v Wade and the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, have made young people more aware of the concrete and life-changing impacts of policies and elected officials. For example, 56% of midterm election voters across the nation listed abortion as a “very important” motivating issue that pushed them to the polls (Pew Research). In addition, climate change was an essential consideration for 38% of registered voters, while racial issues constituted 34% and the Covid-19 pandemic was 23% (Pew Research). With this myriad of interacting and important issues, youth voters may have felt especially motivated to vote on issues of such personal and national relevance. 

Furthermore, the majority of these impactful young voters are members of marginalized communities, including women and people of color, as members of these groups are seeing the increased necessity of voting for policies that concretely affect their lives. Those who are part of groups affected by recent laws and changes now see the urgency and need for every single vote, to help influence laws in their favor. For instance, the 2022 midterm elections showed an increased voter mobilization for racial minorities, suggesting a reaction to the uptick in racial injustice and greater awareness of such inequities (US Department of State). As laws and legislations continue to shift and change, as well as the state of affairs, this midterm election may mark the beginning of an upward trend of youth voting in both midterm and presidential elections. 

In terms of the political climate, young voters have shown a preference for Democrats since 2004; the strongest supporters of democratic candidates have been marginalized groups, such as women and people of color. Since the 2004 presidential election, the percentage of young voters who favored the Democratic Party has remained at or above 54 percent, even reaching as high as 67 percent in 2018. This year, the national youth vote choice for the U.S House of Representatives was 63% for Democrats, and 35% for Republicans. In 2020, the youth preferred Democrats to Republicans by 62% to 36% (CIRCLE). Such fundamental shifts and large margins of preference in the political makeup of registered voters, particularly the newest generation, will inevitably create enduring change for many elections to come. It may even signal a value shift of the nation as a whole, as previously disenfranchised groups turn out more frequently to the polls. 

Perhaps most notable is the shift in the outreach platforms used for campaigning, particularly the increased relevance of social media and user-generated videos in reaching out to younger voters. Younger people, specifically GenZ, are very familiar with the Internet, which changes the way information—and political messages—is spread and received. On popular social media platforms such as TikTok or Instagram, any user can sign up and create public videos. This creates an opportunity for the growth of official campaign accounts, such as @thedemocrats on Tiktok, which is listed as the “official TikTok account of the Democratic Party” and has garnered over 320 thousand followers. In addition, this crowdsourced nature of social media also lowers the barrier to entry for those seeking information about political races or those endeavoring to spread campaign messages. While this does introduce the risk of misinformation spreading, using social media to meet GenZ where they are introduces relatability and humor into an otherwise uninteresting campaign. Indeed, as previous political leaders have noted, whoever controls the youth, controls the future of politics and government; in our modern day, whoever can utilize the media that GenZ consumes holds that power. In this way, the Democratic party’s strategy to leverage humor and relatability seems to be working, garnering public favor and increasing popularity on social media platforms.  

As of now, there is not enough data to compare the turnout of this midterm elections to other elections in history, but this may potentially mark the beginning of a trend. Future decisions, such as ones regarding climate change and healthcare, may all be in the hands of the youth vote. Whether this is a positive or negative effect, it may very well lead to changes in how political messages are messaged, as politicians race to gain the advantage of the youth vote.