How Young People Are Getting Their Voices Heard for the 2026 Midterm Elections
Election Day is quickly approaching on Nov. 3. We know of the struggle to increase civic engagement, especially when there are voters who decide not to fulfill this simple responsibility.
For young people who have recently gained the right to vote or are unable to vote yet, representing their voice in government can be a difficult and undermining task. New voters might not place much importance on voting, and those who can’t vote could have lost hope in trying to be heard.
However, the exact opposite has happened. Students all over the country are advocating for participation in our government, educating students about the current election and civic engagement, including others who are encouraging students 16-17 years old to pre-register to vote, like MLEC senior Mariana Bedoya.
A student-led campaign known as “Rock the Vote” mobilizes students ahead of midterm elections. This campaign is led by students of San Diego State University (SDSU) and has returned to educating students about the current election and civic engagement.
Throughout the fall, these students have connected other registration resources and peer-to-peer outreach through SDSU’s annual Rock the Vote initiative (RTV), according to SDSU News. Their campaign continues as universities nationwide also work toward sustaining student voter registration.
Their fall campaign kicked off on National Voter Registration Day (Sept. 15) and has continued to connect with students on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union and near the Aztec Recreation Center Courtyard with the ultimate goal of getting students registered to vote.
“I started a drive up for pre-registering because I felt that it was very important for the youth of my generation to pre-register. It’s important for people to get their voice heard for the elections on November 3rd,” said senior Mariana Bedoya.
Through their different events, such as “Register and Refresh,” on Oct. 7 and Oct.r 19, students were given the opportunity to ask voting-related questions, access registration resources, and enjoy treats, as said by SDSU News.
“In that moment, when I was pre-registering, I felt that I was going through a rite of passage. It felt very invigorating and empowering to pre-register to vote with the promise or guarantee that I would be able to vote in a midterm election. I was giving my adult self the freedom that once I’m 18 years old, I don’t even have to register anything, just go out and vote,” said senior Robert Hurtado De Mendoza.
According to CIRCLE (Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement), nearly 50 million young people ages 18-29 are eligible to vote in the 2026 midterms, which is a major force in shaping our electoral outcomes and democracy’s future.
A survey they conducted in partnership with the When We All Vote team found that over 5,000 young people shared their political values, inflection points, and priorities ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Multiple key findings were found, including that “Gen Z’s top issues are the economy, housing, and healthcare, with the economy dominating across demographics and political beliefs,” as said by CIRCLE. Additionally, it was also discovered that access to information is a key barrier between what Gen Z cares about and how they show up at the ballot box. They face barriers in making connections between their top issues to candidates and ballot choices.
To reach new voters, it has been made clear that old tactics cannot be used, inspiring the formation of “Pass the mic,” a national, nonpartisan effort to engage hundreds of thousands of young people to amplify the key issues that matter most to them and want to build.
Young people, now more than ever, are gaining help and finding ways to become more involved in their communities, even if they haven’t come of age yet. They have done it in many different ways, whether through pre-voting registration or simply gaining access to the resources that can prepare them for these steps when they turn 16 or 18. There is still much more to be done, but it is clear there are ample ways for young people of any age to be involved in the 2026 midterm elections.
