Caroline Welles and Marc Lotter: Will Gen Z Show Up to Vote in the 2026 Midterms?

Will Gen Z show up to vote in the 2026 midterms? Democratic organizer Caroline Welles and Republican communications strategist Marc Lotter both say young people have historically voted less than older Americans. They differ on why, on whether the gap between young men and young women will last, and on what algorithms are doing to voters. They agree on the practical ground: kids should learn to think for themselves, and parents should show them what taking part looks like.

## Where they agree

- Young people have historically voted less than older Americans. - Kids should learn to think for themselves and not hand it off. Marc Lotter: do not export it to AI. Caroline Welles: teach independent thought. - Debate at the dinner table builds the habit. Lotter: make kids back up their assertions. Welles: it worked for her. - Kids learn civic habits by watching adults take part. Lotter: bring them to the polls. Welles: she plans to take her one-year-old door knocking. - The economy is a top concern for young voters.

## Where they split

| Topic | Caroline Welles | Marc Lotter | |---|---|---| | Why turnout is low | Young people move often and registering takes admin. She hopes the Republican Party drops tactics she says make voting harder. | Young people are loud but cynical, and turn out when something specific to them is on the ballot. | | The gender gap | Calls 2024 a possible anomaly and says young men have swung back toward Democrats since the inauguration. | Expects the gap to carry through with this generation, then people shift as they pay bills and raise families. | | Big tech and algorithms | Disputes that big tech leans one way. Says the deeper problem is divisiveness. | Says platforms tend to amplify Democrats and throttle Republicans. His fix is more critical thinking. |

## Official voting information

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Registration, early voting, ID rules and polling places vary by state, so no deadlines are listed here. Check [vote.gov](https://vote.gov) or your state election office.

## Context from outside sources (not said in the episode)

- Nearly 50 million people ages 18 to 29 are eligible to vote in the 2026 midterms. Source: [CIRCLE at Tufts University](https://circle.tufts.edu/2026-election). - In a CIRCLE and When We All Vote survey of 5,549 adults ages 18 to 29 (fielded Jan 26 to Feb 12, 2026, margin of error plus or minus 2.5 points, published May 21, 2026), 56% said they are extremely likely to vote in 2026 and 19% fairly likely. Among those extremely likely: Democrats and Democratic leaners 68%, Republicans and Republican leaners 49%, independents 38%. These are stated intentions in winter, not turnout. Source: [CIRCLE, "Youth Are Likely to Vote in 2026"](https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/youth-are-likely-vote-2026-want-see-big-changes-democracy). - 67% of Americans fall in the "Exhausted Majority," fatigued by polarization, in More in Common's 2018 Hidden Tribes study. Source: [More in Common](https://moreincommon.com/us/).

Figures checked against the source pages on Oct 25, 2026.

## Ideas worth keeping

- **Unified, not uniform.** Ryan Vet's through-line for the conversation: people can disagree and still be united. He says it in the opening and again in the close. - **Listening, not messaging.** Caroline Welles' diagnosis of the 2024 election: young voters felt pandered to rather than listened to. - **Reach the voter where they are.** Marc Lotter's rule for campaigns of either party: each generation takes in media differently, so use the channel the voter actually uses, which for young people today is their phones. - **Vote all the way down.** Caroline Welles' reminder that many of the things voters care about, such as potholes, schools and reproductive freedom, are decided locally by city councilors and school boards. - **Disagree without being disagreeable.** Marc Lotter's case for why a Democrat and a Republican talking calmly matters: if young people see adults disagree respectfully, they may be less afraid to get involved.

This conversation is about how generations engage with politics. It is not an endorsement of any candidate or party, and each guest speaks for themselves.

Ryan Vet writes about generational shifts in leadership, work and culture every week in [COLLIDE](https://ryanvet.com/collide/), free.