Ian Goldfeld said he has seen an uptick in attendance for the University of Vermont’s Political Science Club lately. 

Goldfeld, a junior who serves as the club’s president, said that the nonpartisan organization’s attendance fell after the 2024 presidential election, but that buzz surrounding November’s general election has students eager to learn about candidates on the ballot. 

“I think that people’s sort of outlook on politics has gotten more pessimistic, mine included,” Goldfeld, 20, said. “But I think I’ve been seeing a bit more hope returning.”

Young people, aged 18-29, consistently see the lowest election turnout of any age group. The 2022 midterm elections saw 23% of eligible youth voters turn out nationwide. That statistic was 25.7% in Vermont, according to CIRCLE, a nonpartisan research center at Tufts University. 

Participation rates of young voters may be improving. A national survey of 5,549 respondents conducted earlier this year by CIRCLE estimated that 56% of young people are “extremely likely to vote,” with a 2.5% margin of error. This would double CIRCLE’s individual turnout estimates from both previous midterm surveys in 2018 and 2022. 

In 2024, just under 10% of Vermonters were between the ages of 18-24, according to data by the Vermont Department of Health. But with a competitive gubernatorial race in Vermont on the horizon, some experts say the youth vote could have an impact. 

With less than a month before election day, young Vermonters are making efforts to engage their peers, hoping to increase youth participation. 

Cameron Laychak, chair of the legislative and community affairs committee for UVM’s Student Government Association, said his student government committee has set up tabling events on campus through election season, guiding students through the voter registration process. Civic Engagement at UVM — a community involvement program for students — has also held voter registration drives, where program assistant Cooper Bullock said that he has seen significant student engagement. 

“Just last week we had four or five different events, and we had an amazing engagement and turnout from a variety of UVM students,” he said. “We had tons of voter registration, people requesting absentee ballots to vote in their home election. I think people really want to stay engaged, and they really want to be involved.”

UVM’s Political Science Club has hosted a representative from the Vermont Democratic Party and Democratic state auditor candidate Tim Ashe of Burlington this semester. In the coming weeks, Goldfeld said they are hosting presentations and discussions on midterm races. 

Middlebury College Democrats Co-President Lucas Basham said his organization has also held weekly and bi-weekly voter registration drives all semester. They encourage students to register in Vermont through their college residency. 

Basham, 20, of New York City, said that he’s switching his registration to Vermont, too. 

“We’re trying to help students understand that, you know, their vote counts as a lot more, especially in Addison County, where we have a very contentious state Senate election, and of course in the governor’s election,” Basham said. “We are, after all, residents of Middlebury, of Addison County, of Vermont, for the four years that we’re here.”

Goldfeld said sometimes students see voting as a chore, whether they drive across the state or mail an absentee ballot across the country. It can be difficult for busy college students to navigate the absentee process, he said, considering he thinks students feel a lack of hope that their vote counts.

“The fact that at the end of the day, you know, our elected leaders may not listen to us,” he said. “My vote may not matter. I think that cynicism has something to do with it. I think that in a lot of cases, in midterms, I think many people do not know how important it is.”

Maya Russell said she has seen the impact youth can have in the state through her work with the Vermont State Youth Council. 

Russell, 17, is a senior at Montpelier High School, and isn’t eligible to vote in the midterm election. She said that her peers who are eligible don’t always have awareness or information of elections and their impacts. 

“My peers, they see what’s happening and they want to create change, and they really do care,” she said. “People just don’t know how to do it other than posting an Instagram story.”

Bullock, 21, the Civic Engagement program assistant, said he believes the COVID-19 pandemic impacted his generation’s ability to create and participate in community. 

“I think with such isolation during that pandemic, it was really hard for us to feel like we were a part of a community, and that we really had an impact on the community that we were involved with,” Bullock said. “Now, however many years later, six years later, five years later, students are trying to find their sense of community and their sense of home, and it’s really hard to do that.” 

Basham, a junior, said he found an outlet through Middlebury College Democrats when he felt frustrated with the Democratic Party following the 2024 presidential election. It now serves as a community space where he can discuss politics with his peers. 

“The basis of our meeting still is just, you know, sitting and chatting and just debriefing and getting things off our chest and disagreeing,” he said.

Laychak, the UVM student government chairman, said he’s seen a lot of engagement across UVM’s student body in Vermont’s gubernatorial race alongside federal races in students’ home states. He jokes about gas prices with his friends.

“I think there is this misconception that students really have different issues that they are identifying with as compared to your average American,” Laychak, 21, of Milton, said. “I think a lot of students are looking at, you know, the price of the pump, as well as just the craziness that is happening in the federal government right now, and just saying we really need to switch things up.”

The youth vote could have an impact on Vermont’s gubernatorial election. Phil Scott has been governor since 2016, when this year’s young voters were between 8 and 19 years old. 

“It’s probably all they’ve ever known, right?” Basham said.

Laychak voted for Scott in 2024. This time around, he’s ticking Amanda Janoo’s name at the ballot box, he said. 

He said he had a “personal evolution” in the past two years, noting Scott’s veto on a bill which would have regulated data centers in the state. Two-thirds of young Americans said their political views have shifted in some way in recent years. 

“That general idea here in Vermont, like, ‘Oh, he’s been a good governor to us. Oh my goodness, like, he’s just been this good guy, got us through COVID,’” he said. “I definitely had an awakening, per se, especially with things like the data center ban bill … so I think a lot of students are also engaged in that governor’s race, and that’s probably why you’re seeing those polls look very close.” 

He added that he thinks cuts to federal grant funding for scientific research are pushing college students to cast a vote, specifically for Democrats, this time around.

Basham said the social media presence of young Democratic candidates across the country is increasing young voters’ awareness of the election, and encouraging them to research non-incumbent candidates like Amanda Janoo. 

“I definitely think young people showing up will be voting for Amanda Janoo,” Basham said. “I think that the blue wave energy in social media, when it does reach students on a national level, like that’s gonna you know maybe push them to be aware that Amanda Janoo exists.”

The question remains: Will young people actually cast their ballots on Nov. 3? 

“I think that there are political analysts that would pay millions of dollars to try to answer that question,” Goldfeld said.