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Reviews Lifestyle The New Sober Boom Getting Hooked on Quitting Education Liberal Arts Cuts Are Dangerous Is College Necessary? Finance Dying Parents Costing Millennials Dear Gen Z Investing In Le Creuset Crypto Investing SEC vs Celebrity Crypto Promoters ‘Dark’ Personalities Drawn to BTC

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Education Liberal Arts Cuts Are Dangerous Is College Necessary?

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Finance Dying Parents Costing Millennials Dear Gen Z Investing In Le Creuset

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Crypto Investing SEC vs Celebrity Crypto Promoters ‘Dark’ Personalities Drawn to BTC

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Gen Z isn’t choosing a political party. They’re choosing issues

Young women stand out for their progressive views, but few in the generation are embracing the two-party system

Published October 2, 2026 6:00AM (EDT)

This story was originally published by The 19th.

This story is part of Gen Z at the Ballot Box, a collaboration between States Newsroom and The 19th. 

WINDHAM, Maine – As 24-year-old Maya Brooks walked winding roads in rural parts of Maine, a water bottle hooked to her fanny pack and a stack of “lit” on absentee voting and candidates her group has endorsed in hand, she was focused on reaching voters who either haven’t voted in recent years or have shown they’re willing to vote for both parties. 

Mainers frequently cross party lines, as evidenced by the fact that U.S. Sen. Susan Collins is the only GOP senator running for reelection in a state Donald Trump lost in 2024. Maine consistently ranks among the highest in the country for voter turnout, even among young voters, despite having one of the oldest populations in the country. 

That’s led Maine to be viewed as the top state where young voters could sway Senate outcomes in 2026. 

While Brooks canvassed for the state’s largest progressive community action organization, she thought about one of her first interactions knocking doors this cycle. A woman — not much older than herself— told her she probably wouldn’t vote. Whoever she voted for, whatever their party affiliation, she felt it would not make a difference, Brooks recalled.

“I don’t blame her,” she said. While a registered Democrat, Brooks would rather do away with the two-party system altogether. “Politicians aren’t delivering.” 

Generation Z, now roughly 14 to 29 years old, is a growing portion of the electorate with about 50 million eligible voters in the upcoming midterm elections. But these young voters have soured on both parties. 

Younger people have long been more likely to identify as independents, but Gen Z is doing so at a significantly higher rate than any previous generation at the same age. 

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Being independent does not mean being moderate. Gen Z’s ideological gender gap is driven more by women moving further left than men moving further right. 

“Really, what’s notable is that Gen Z women are the distinct group compared to both their young male counterparts but also to other American women,” said Melissa Deckman, a political scientist who studies the impact of gender, religion, and age on public opinion. “Simply put, Gen Z women are the most liberal and progressive group of voters in America today.” 

A unifier among Gen Z is a belief that the government is failing to protect and address their needs, notably the high cost of living. 

Trump capitalized on that discontent in 2024, making gains with young........

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