On the first day of the fall semester at California State University, Northridge, student organizers holding “Hot People Vote” signs wheeled a bright pink wagon outside the student union.
asserted
People → hold → union
They offered “no strings attached” donuts, heart-shaped sunglasses and voting information for the November general election.
asserted
They → offer → election
Even though it was 105F outside, dozens of people stopped by to chat with the Donuts + Democracy volunteers and register to vote.
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dozens → stop → volunteers
One student told organizer Dzian Tran that she didn’t plan to vote because she was disillusioned with politics.
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she → tell → politics
Tran chatted with her about how civic engagement is important to democracy and how some elections are won by a margin of only 400 votes.
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elections → chat → votes
As she thanked Tran, the student held her phone up to a QR code to get more information about voting.
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student → thank → voting
About 50 million young people are eligible to vote in 2026, but nearly half are either not registered or civically engaged, according to US Census Bureau data.
uncertain
half → vote → data
After Donald Trump made significant gains among young men in the 2024 election, Democratic-aligned groups have been eager to capture gen Z voters who may be disaffected by politics.
uncertain
who → make → politics
From bringing politicians, celebrities and donuts to campuses to hosting tailgating events, happy hours and street parties, a crop of youth-led and youth-focused organizations are employing fresh tactics to meet gen Z where they are – and luring them in with fun.
Heather Haggarty, who runs Democracy + Donuts with her daughter, said traditional voter engagement strategies such as postcards, clipboards and phone-banking fail with young voters.
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strategies → bring → voters
gen Z children suggested taking donuts to a university voter registration event a few years ago, she ended up speaking to more than 100 kids in 90 minutes.
uncertain
she → suggest → minutes
Haggarty said the deep-fried snack is akin to “breaking bread”, making zoomers more willing to talk and connect.
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zoomers → say → bread
“Young kids aren’t apathetic,” she said.
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she → say → ?
“They care.
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They → care → ?
But voting isn’t easy and traditional voter engagement can feel transactional and alienating.”
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engagement → feel → ?
‘From a quinceañera in Texas to a block party in Philly’
While Republicans invested more than $1bn to target young voters from 2020 to 2025, Democrats haven’t historically backed campus organizing and young organizers, said Haggerty.
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Haggerty → invest → organizing
It’s often left up to young people to inspire and educate their peers.
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It → leave → peers
Since 2021, the Keep Arizona Blue Student Coalition, or Keep AZ Blue, has registered about 15,000 students at high schools and colleges.
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Coalition → keep → schools
“We engage people online where young people are most, on campus and at community events and coffee shops and other hangout spots,” said Jacob Marson, the group’s 22-year-old executive director.
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Marson → engage → events
“As football starts up, we’re going to bring elected officials to tailgates along with energy drinks and donuts – these are conversation starters.”
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these → start → drinks
Marson’s team has found that community colleges have been largely ignored by organizers in the past.
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colleges → find → past
When they show up on those campuses, whether in rural areas or Maricopa county (the fourth-most populous US county), they have “amazing conversations”, Marson said.
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Marson → show → conversations
Last year, Keep AZ Blue brought the Arizona representative Lorena Austin to Mesa Community College, and earlier this year they introduced Arizona’s attorney general, Kris Mayes, to students at Arizona State University.
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they → bring → University
“I think some young voters took a chance on Trump, but it’s clear they’re ready to come home and support our Democratic candidates,” Marson said.
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Marson → think → candidates
“They’ve seen the policies of a Republican-controlled House, Senate and presidency.
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They → see → House
I am fully confident that young voters are ready to elect Democrats across the state.
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voters → elect → state
Although research has shown that 43% of zoomers do not identify with a political party, they are twice as likely to move left in recent years.
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they → show → years
And while young people face the most obstacles to voting of any age group, once gen Z is registered to vote, they vote at close to the turnout rates of those over age 30.
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they → face → age
Youth-focused organizations understand that gen Z voters swing elections.
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voters → focus → elections
The non-partisan voter organization When We All Vote, founded by Michelle Obama, hosted more than 500 Party at the Polls events throughout the US in 2024.
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We → vote → 2024
This year, they are scaling up to 5,000 events with a goal of reaching an estimated 20 million gen Z voters.
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they → scale → voters
They are particularly focusing on Black and brown communities in the aftermath of the gutting of the Voting Rights Act and other suppression efforts.
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They → focus → Act
“It could be anything from a quinceañera in Texas to a block party in Philly to smaller cookouts and barbecues,” said senior adviser Kalisha Dessources Figures.
uncertain
Figures → say → cookouts
“We’re meeting communities where they are with what looks like joy and celebration to them.”
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what → meet → them
The organization recently brought Love Island USA winner Serena Page to the University of Houston for a conversation on college, dating and civic engagement that was attended by hundreds of students who received free giveaways such as tooth gems and custom merch.
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who → bring → gems
HeadCount is another organization mixing voter registration efforts with joy.
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HeadCount → mix → joy
This year, they have teamed up with celebrities such as Ilana Glazer, Harry Styles and Bob the Drag Queen to encourage gen Z to take action for chances to win tickets and VIP experiences at concerts, sporting events and music festivals.
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they → team → concerts
All of this outreach might be helping: some primaries this year have already seen increased turnout among zoomers.
uncertain
primaries → help → zoomers
In El Paso’s primary, the youth turnout nearly tripled compared to 2022.
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turnout → triple → 2022
In Michigan, Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed received almost 60% of the vote in key counties where college-aged voters live, and some experts believe the youth vote was likely responsible for his close primary win.
asserted
vote → receive → win
California, meanwhile, has added nearly 2 million more gen Z-aged registered voters since 2022, and more than two-thirds of 18- to 29-year-olds say they are inclined to support progressive candidates in the state.
asserted
they → add → state
…and 12 more, not listed.
