Everyone has an opinion about Gen Z and politics. They're disengaged. They're disillusioned. They don't show up to vote. But how much of that conventional wisdom is actually true?
We’re less than two weeks away from the 2026 midterm elections and young people are organizing, advocating, and finding their own ways to make their voices heard. But does that energy translate into youth voter turnout? And are political campaigns missing the bigger picture when it comes to engaging the next generation of voters?
In this episode, Kaitlin Funaro sits down with Bailey Medilo of The Washington Bus, which builds youth political power and leadership, and 18-year-old Elijah Lee of Voters of Tomorrow, a national Gen Z-led organization with members and chapters across the country. Together, they explore what’s motivating young people today, what might be keeping them from the polls, and what Gen Z’s approach to politics can tell us about the future of civic life.
Resources:
Vote.org polling place locator
In This Episode:
- What’s motivating young people to vote, and how engaged are they heading into the midterms?
- How does youth political engagement vary across geography, backgrounds, and political experience?
- What are adults and political institutions getting wrong about why young people do—or don’t—vote?
- What issues are young people organizing around that political institutions may be overlooking?
- Beyond voting, how are young people finding ways to participate in civic life?
- Why does peer-to-peer organizing matter, and are young people more likely to listen to other young people?
- What makes an election feel relevant to an 18- or 19-year-old voting for the first time?
- What should political campaigns and advocacy organizations start or stop doing to better reach young people?
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