Young American voters are almost nowhere to be found in the large wave of early voting ahead of the 2022 midterms.
According to the United States Election Project, more than 16 million early votes have already been cast, and in many states early voting has surpassed records set in the 2020 presidential election. But among states reporting voter ages, voters between the ages of 18-25 account for only 3.5% of all ballots submitted so far, despite adults aged 19-25 accounting for 8.7% of the population as of 2019.
At first glance, this is not particularly surprising. Young voters are historically less likely to vote early than older Americans. And it remains to be seen if more young voters will opt to make their voices heard on Election Day. But broader census data shows that the youngest American voters consistently vote at lower rates than their older counterparts – in 2016, 71% of registered voters ages 65 and up cast a ballot, compared to only 46% of voters aged 18-29.
Voting is the most important way to participate in our democracy and everyone eligible to vote should do so if they can. Find out more about voting in your state from usa.gov/voting.
