Youth Voting Rights Act

This bill makes it easier for young people to register and vote in federal elections. States must let 16- and 17-year-olds pre-register so they’re ready to vote at 18. Public colleges must offer voter registration services wherever students get help on campus. States must also place a polling place on each public college campus on election day, or provide easy alternatives like free shuttles, on-campus drop boxes, or mobile/early voting if a campus can’t host one; the Justice Department will publish guidance within 180 days, and waivers are possible in limited cases. If a state requires voter ID, a qualifying student ID must count. The bill protects students’ ability to vote from their college address and extends existing protections against strict residency rules to all federal elections, with a way for voters to go to court to enforce these rights. It also says age-based limits on mail voting for adults conflict with the Constitution’s 26th Amendment, and lets adults sue to stop age-based voting barriers, with fees covered if they win.

To boost participation, it creates a Youth Engagement Fund to give grants to states for things like promoting pre-registration, supporting schools and campuses, updating civics lessons, and paying youth fellows to work with election offices. It also orders a federal study and ongoing public data on voting by age—such as campus polling access and why registrations or ballots are rejected—and requires states to submit this information for future federal elections. Initial funding is $26 million for fiscal year 2026, and funds can stay available for up to 10 years.

• Who is affected: Teens 16–17, college students, adult voters facing age-based limits, states and election officials.
• What changes: Pre-registration at 16; college campuses help with registration and host polling places or provide easy alternatives; student IDs count for voter ID where required; students can vote from their college address; people 18+ and the Justice Department can go to court to stop age-based barriers; grants support youth voting efforts; federal study and data reporting by age.
• When: Pre-registration starts 90 days after enactment; campus-polling guidance due in 180 days; GAO study due in 180 days; Youth Engagement Fund begins in FY2026; state data reporting applies to federal elections after the law takes effect.