RISE Vote 2026
Generation Citizen is pleased to partner with The Civics Center and New Voters on our RISE Vote 2026 initiative. RISE Vote is an acronym that stands for registering, informing, supporting, and empowering new and returning voters, especially high school students. Our goal is to welcome America’s students into the political process in a supported, well-informed, nonpartisan process that centers youth voice, local communities, and being heard at the ballot box.
Recent studies on youth civic engagement indicate that young people feel disenchanted about national politics. According to research on the civic outlook of young adults conducted by Harvard’s Institute of Politics and the Institute of Citizens and Scholars, 18-30 year-olds exhibit profound concern about the state of our democracy, marginal attachment to either of America’s two major political parties, and decreased confidence in their capacity to shape their civic futures.
CIRCLE’s most recent research indicates that “students who had not received encouragement to vote from teachers in high school were more than twice as likely to agree with the statement “Voting is a waste of time” as those who had been encouraged: 26% vs. 12%.
RISE Vote 2026 is designed to address the foregoing factors by ensuring that rising leaders can access culturally relevant voting preregistration and registration materials that facilitate and celebrate high student participation in America’s public life during a pivotal phase of their adolescent and civic learning journey.
Opportunities to Participate in RISE Vote 2026
Nearly 50 million Gen Zers will be eligible to vote this fall, according to CIRCLE’s 2026 Youth Poll. RISE Vote 2026 is GC’s nonpartisan high school voter registration initiative to ensure that this generational cohort of young people can access a supported, structured welcome into our democracy.
RISE Vote 2026 focuses on expanding access to HS voter registration opportunities in 15 states: RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA, OK, KY, CA, WA, MA, NC, AZ, MI, OH and TX.
Our theory of action is that connecting with educators can facilitate effective support for student-led voter registration events.
For more information on how to participate in GC’s RISE VOTE 2026 initiative, please contact Andrew Wilkes, GC’s Chief Voice and Policy Officer, at awilkes@generationcitizen.org
Future250: Shaping the Next Era of Democracy
America’s 250th birthday since the Declaration is just around the corner. While many organizations are reviewing the past with nostalgia, Generation Citizen’s Future250 initiative looks forward, helping young people cultivate the civic imagination needed to be architects of the country and local communities that they want to see. We believe the 250th anniversary of the United States is not just a milestone of yesterday, but a launchpad for the next 50, 100, 250 years of collective self-governance. By centering the civic imagination of young people, we are moving beyond nostalgia to build a democracy that is inclusive, evolved, and student-led.
In a crowded landscape of historical commemorations, Future250 carves out a unique space by prioritizing the lived experiences and expertise of young people. We don’t just talk about youth; we elevate students as essential contributors to cross-generational problem-solving. By integrating student perspectives into the national narrative, we ensure that the vision for our communities is shaped by those who will inherit them.
Our work shifts the focus from where we began to where we are going. Through “civic visioning,” we invite youth to look beyond immediate policy issues and imagine the next 50 years of American democracy. Using public narrative and specialized programming, we empower students to define what a healthy, thriving republic looks like for the next 250 years—and give them the tools to start building it today.
America250 represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to secure the future of our field. Just as the 200th anniversary of the Constitution sparked significant civic investment, this moment is the catalyst for a new era of funding at both the state and federal levels.
Generation Citizen is leveraging our cross-regional presence, our deep network of educators, and our Civic Leadership Network to lead this charge. We are advocating for a massive public investment to ensure every student in America has access to comprehensive, community-based civics education. We aren’t just celebrating 250 years of history; we are investing in the citizens who will lead us through the next 250.
What does GC’s Future 250 work look like?
GC’s Future250 initiative encourages communities to center young people’s civic imagination by asking what a more inclusive, participatory democracy should look like over the next 250 years.
In the past twelve months, GC has organized thirteen Future250 activations, including:
- Young People’s Continental Congress in Philadelphia, PA with Generation Citizen, National History Day, Carpenters’ Hall, and the National Constitution Center
- A Post-Election Future 250 Roundtable with Generation Citizen, Civics Unplugged, and Protect Democracy
- National Youth Leadership Conference – Future 250 conference presentation
- Of special note, PBS featured GC’s F250 work in its series, Becoming America with Bonnie Boswell: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
- Generation Citizen and Youth 250 Instagram Live conversation
- Future 250 Civic Visioning Workshop series with Generation Citizen, Youth 250 (Made By Us History coalition), and Protect Democracy
- GC’s Mid-Atlantic Region Future 250 Civics Day roundtable
For more information on how to host a Future 250 or civic imagination workshop in your community, please contact Andrew Wilkes, GC’s Chief Voice and Policy Officer, at awilkes@generationcitizen.org
GC’s Future 250 work has been made possible due to the support of our dedicated F250 working group members, including:
- Democracy 2076
- Civics Unplugged
- Protect Democracy
- The Civics Center
- Mikva Challenge
- Citizen University
- National Youth Leadership Council
- Al Shanker Institute
- History Made By US (Youth 250)
- Rhizome
- Youth Power Project
