How to Turn Young Voter Energy Into Votes
Young Adult Hoosiers Care --> But Don’t Vote
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The 2026 election is our chance to course-correct. While national trends show young voters abandoning Trump at a staggering rate, his net approval among 18-29-year-olds plummeted from -7% in March 2025 to a jaw-dropping -31.8% by February 2026. Indiana has a critical opportunity. In 2024, Indiana was one of only three states where Kamala Harris improved upon Biden’s performance with young voters, bucking the national swing toward Trump. Yet, beneath that glimmer of potential lies a crisis of engagement.
In Indiana, just 16% of 18–24-year-olds voted in 2022. A new, nonpartisan study of Hoosier young adults (18–34) who were registered but didn’t vote in 2024 reveals they are not apathetic; they are distrustful, disappointed, and impeded by real barriers. They feel their votes don’t matter, and many don’t even know early voting exists. With statehouse races decided by as few as 242, 333, and 810 votes in 2022, unlocking this demographic isn’t just nice, it’s the key to a winning strategy.
We are going beyond the conventional wisdom. We’re sitting down with the leaders of ReCenter Indiana and Count Us In, who have done the deep research and are building the on-ramps to turn disillusionment into power. This is about changing the culture of how we run campaigns, no gatekeepers, no jargon, just real talk on how to connect, mobilize, and win with the voters who will decide our future. Let’s get into it.
Based on the ReCenter Indiana nonpartisan study of young Hoosier non-voters (ages 18-34), here are three of its strongest, data-driven findings
Widespread Pessimism and Political Alienation: Half (50%) of surveyed young adults feel pessimistic or negative about the future of the country, and a core reason for not voting is the belief that their vote does not influence government actions.
“I’m feeling pessimistic. The recent elections have kind of caused me to not feel like there’s any upside to these elections”
Distrust and High Rate of Never-Voting: The study found widespread distrust among young adults, especially those who have never voted. A staggering 45% of the surveyed demographic had never voted before in any election, and this group is less likely to vote for the first time in 2026 compared to lapsed voters returning.
"I feel like a lot of things just don't make sense anymore. What type of world are we living in? I feel very angry about the decisions that are made, the people in government."
Barriers Differ by Identity and Party: The top reasons for not voting are not uniform. The research shows that barriers differ significantly by political affiliation and identity 2025 Young Adul...er Indiana. For example:
By Party: Independents were most likely turned off by not liking either candidate (24%), Democrats by feeling their vote didn’t matter (21%), and Republicans by simply forgetting or missing the deadline (13%)
By Identity: Women and Black voters cited personal obligations as a primary barrier, while men and white voters were more likely to say they didn’t like either candidate
For more information please reach out to:
ReCenter Indiana, Inc. - Jocelyn Vare
Jocelyn Vare is a former Fishers At-Large City Councilor, state senate candidate, and chair of Hamilton County Democratic Party. She currently is executive director of ReCenter Indiana, Inc. a leading nonpartisan nonprofit organization grounded in a simple belief: When elected officials center on Hoosiers’ priorities, Indiana is stronger. That’s why ReCenter Indiana encourages all Hoosiers to vote, stay civically engaged, and use their voices.
📚 Visit www.recenterindiana.org/young-adult-non-voter-study for a summary of the young adult non-voter research findings, statements from focus group participants, survey details, and links to the final report, crosstabs and other resources.
📧 For more information, email jocelyn@recenterindiana.org
📱 facebook.com/recenterindiana
Count US IN: Rianne Henderson
Count US IN is the first Indiana-based 501(c)3 non-partisan non-profit and movement whose mission is to uplift the voice of citizens and foster more inclusive and equitable political participation by encouraging a larger, more diverse voter turnout. We seek to educate and empower the community as well as show that our voices matter.
Through the 4Democracy or #4D campaign, we are shedding light on the different dimensions and perspectives of democracy that are overlooked far too often. By building community power and infrastructure, we are launching the 4D campaign: Decarcerate, Decolonize, and Defend Disability Justice.
Our North Star is freedom, accessibility, and building community power for voices that have been ignored for far too long. We are focusing on our long-term, 4D campaign: Decarcerate, Decolonize, and Defend Disability Justice that focuses on creating ecosystems to support alternative solutions and systemic change for BIPOC, disability community members, especially those within or impacted by institutions (mental health, nursing homes, etc.), and incarceration. The campaign will uplift tangible power and solutions through supporting individuals for re-entry and re-integration into society, working with community leaders on identifying and addressing barriers to community-based services, identifying key stakeholders to approach, holding and building off of community engagement sessions to uplift community voices, and more.
We are always looking for volunteers to support our 4D campaign, one time tabling events, as well as our long standing Election Defender Program. Being an Election Defender means being a witness to voting, offering emotional support, helping folks feel safe, connecting people to resources, and being a cheerleader. We will be announcing our 2026 trainings soon!
To get involved please fill out this form
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11QJ34YzjJoF_NaNRC4gnUpCEZ1UZx6sSK7hUjocoGmQ/edit or
📧 email us at info@countusindiana.org
📱 Instagram: countusindiana
📱 Facebook: Count US IN
🔗 LinkedIn: Count US IN Inc
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