Forty-seven percent of young voters (ages 18–29) cast ballots in 2024, down three points from 2020, but eclipsing 2016 turnout (39%). This is the top takeaway from our partners at the Center for Information Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) based on their 2025 analyses of the 2024 Presidential Election and 2025 contests in New Jersey, Virginia, and New York City.
Other key findings include:
- Persistent gender and racial/ethnic gaps in youth voting, with 58% of White women voting in 2024 compared to 25% of Black men. Young voters of color say they disproportionately lack information about the voting process.
- Huge swings in youth turnout by state, from a high of 62% in Minnesota to the low of 33% in Arkansas. Turnout tends to correlate with the state’s political competitiveness.
- A mere 16% of young voters believe democracy is working for them, a figure that, if left unaddressed, can drive even more potential voters to the sidelines.
This fall’s midterm elections present another teachable moment for the civic learning movement. CIRCLE found that fewer than half of youth surveyed (48%) felt a sense of belonging—a critical factor in students’ civic development—in school. However, two-thirds of those who vote in every national election reported a sense of belonging, as did 58% who vote in local elections or participate in local government.
Let’s commit to teaching students about voting processes and the candidates and issues on the ballot this fall, but also attend to their whole being, supporting schools in practicing the tenets of our constitutional democracy daily.