Voter turnout among people under 30 was the second highest in 30 years, NPR reports.
About 27% of voters between 18 and 29 voted in the midterms, according to an estimate from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University.
That is the second highest rate in three decades, bested only by the 31% share in the 2018 midterms.
The report said that the 2018 rate is the “high-water mark” for youth voter turnout since at least the 1970s.
The report found that youth turnout hit about 31% this year in key states, including Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
"Outreach, contact, investment in these states was higher," said Abby Kiesa, the group’s deputy director. "So it's not surprising that voter turnout is higher in these states."
Overwhelmingly Democratic:
Young voters overwhelmingly swung for Democrats in the midterms and helped the party hold off an anticipated “red wave.”
Young voters preferred Democrats over Republicans by a 28-point margin, according to the report.
"Young people stood along in supporting, decisively, a Democratic statewide race candidate," said Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, the group's director. "The result is that [young people] kept the races really close and in some cases we think they will decide the outcome of the race."
More diverse voters:
Young voters are a more diverse group than older voting blocs, which pushed the bloc’s overall support for Democrats even further.
“Black young people have been really consistent in that they’re 90 percent-ish, if not higher, in supporting Democrats in midterms and presidential elections,” Kawashima-Ginsberg said, adding that young Hispanic voters also prefer Democrats.
“In many states youth overcame changes to election laws that posed direct barriers to participation and a lack of strong and continued investment in youth registration,” the director added. “There’s both a big need and extraordinary potential to continue building on this trend of strong youth voting by stepping up our support for all youth to have a voice in our democracy.”
