New study shows why GOP wants to stop youth voting

An analysis of youth voting in the 2022 midterms shows that voters under 30 helped drive critical Democratic wins in key swing states and suggests juicing youth turnout in 2024 could help Democrats dominate the cycle.

The report released this month by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University analyzed age-specific voter file data from 39 states and determined turnout among voters aged 18 to 29 as the percentage of all voting-eligible youth (as opposed to just registered youth) who cast a ballot.

Nationally, CIRCLE estimated that 23% of youth voters cast a ballot in 2022—a retreat from the epic 28% youth turnout in 2018 (likely driven by anti-MAGA sentiment) but still notably higher than the estimated 13% of young voters in 2014.

The states with highest turnout rates among voters under 30 included:

• Michigan, 37%

• Maine, Minnesota, and Oregon, all 36%

• Colorado, 33%

• Pennsylvania, 32%