The Youth Voting Rights Act of 2026(YVRA) introduces comprehensive legislation that would empower the government and individuals to enforce the Twenty-Sixth Amendment (which guarantees the right to vote for all U.S. citizens 18 and older) through litigation and promote youth voting access through multiple provisions, including expanded on-campus voter registration, pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-olds, requiring on-campus polling places (where possible), and mandating the acceptance of student ID as voter ID for federal elections.
The bill was reintroduced (several earlier versions stalled, most recently in 2024) in the U.S. Senate on September 23, 2026, by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts). A companion bill was introduced in the House of Representatives by Nikema Williams (D-Georgia). Next steps: the YVRA will be sent to the appropriate Senate committee for review and revision and, from there, possibly to the Senate floor for a vote. This process usually takes several months.
The legislation is co-sponsored by Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-V.T.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore) and endorsed by a broad coalition of 65 civil and voting rights organizations, including Fair Elections Center.
The Twenty-Sixth Amendment, which guarantees the right to vote for all U.S. citizens 18 and older, passed with bipartisan supermajorities in both houses of Congress and was ratified in 1971, more quickly than any other Constitutional Amendment. But over the years, the initial enthusiasm and promise of the Twenty-Sixth has remained unfulfilled. The YVRA is necessary to ensure that young voters are able to exercise the right to vote guaranteed to them in the Constitution.
In reality, young people across the country face multiple systemic barriers to voting, including laws banning or restricting the use of Student ID as Voter ID, the closing of on-campus polling locations(disproportionately affecting predominantly Black or low-income campuses), the lower likelihood of a student having a driver’s license—leaving them with fewer identification, voter registration, and transportation options.
Our currently contentious electoral environment only exacerbates these issues, as anti-voter forces attempt to make it harder for eligible Americans to vote, with many policies they support disproportionately impacting young people. These include the anti-voter SAVE Act, which risks stopping millions of young people from voting by imposing documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote and strict, narrow voter photo ID requirements for voting, including a ban on use of student IDs to meet voter ID requirements, constant attacks against on-campus voter registration programs, and deliberately targeted disinformation campaigns aimed at stopping young people from voting.
The Youth Voting Rights Act would help young voters to defend their fundamental right to vote and expand youth access to voting. Specifically, the bill would:
Empower individuals and the government to enforce the Twenty-Sixth Amendment. The bill creates a private right of action to enforce the Twenty-Sixth Amendment and establishes a national standard of review for such lawsuits.
Expand voter registration services at public colleges and universities. The bill designates offices at all public institutions of higher education as “voter registration agencies” under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, imposing voter registration obligations on these institutions and fulfilling the promise of the requirements already established by the Higher Education Act.
Prepare young people to vote by allowing them to to pre-register to vote before turning 18 in every state. To ensure that young people can vote as soon as they turn 18, the bill requires states to establish pre-registration processes for 16- and 17-year-olds and allows states to expand their processes to youth younger than 16.
Require institutions of higher education to have on-campus polling places. The bill ensures the availability of polling places on campuses of institutions of higher education wherever possible, removing one of the most significant barriers to youth voting access.
Prohibit durational residency requirements for all federal elections. The bill extends the Voting Rights Act’s protections against durational residency requirements and absentee voting limitations to all federal elections, and codifies the right to vote from a college domicile.
Prohibit age-based restrictions on voting by mail. The bill amends the Voting Rights Act to codify that age-based restrictions on vote-by-mail violate the 26th Amendment.
Guarantee that states accept student IDs to meet voter-identification requirements. The bill mandates the acceptance of student IDs to meet state voter ID requirements in federal elections.
Create a grant program dedicated to youth involvement in elections. The bill creates a grant program for states to encourage youth involvement in elections, including through pre- registration, updated civics curricula, and a paid fellowship for young persons to support youth civic engagement.
Gather data on youth voter registration and election participation. The bill requires the federal government to study voter registration, absentee voting, and provisional voting trends by age and race to inform efforts to improve youth involvement in elections.
Contact your Senator and let them know that you support the Youth Voting Rights Act and expanded access to the ballot for all eligible American voters, especially our newest voters. Our federal government should be defending our hard-won right to vote and making voting easier for the greatest number of citizens—not imposing new barriers on our most fundamental right.