Emmanuel Ramírez grew up in an immigrant household where political participation was viewed with caution, shaped by his parents’ experiences in Latin America.
His father left Guatemala following a coup d’état, he said, while his mother’s experiences in Colombia during the 1980s shaped her concerns about political violence and corruption. Both taught him not to get involved in politics.
But he decided to do the opposite. “That just motivated me even more,” Ramírez told Enlace Latino NC.
The 20-year-old preregistered to vote at age 16 through the Division of Motor Vehicles and voted in the 2024 presidential election. Looking ahead to the November 2026 midterm elections, he says his main motivations are the cost of living, public school funding and immigration policies.
Ramírez is part of a wave of young voters seeking to influence the midterm elections in North Carolina.
During the first 11 days of early voting, from October 15 to 25, 2026, the number of accepted ballots from Latinos ages 18 to 24 was more than six times the number recorded in 2022, the previous midterm elections, according to an Enlace Latino NC analysis of data from the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE).
This young group accounts for 22% of Latino voters counted up to that point, compared with 10.7% during the same period in the 2022 election.
The young Latino vote in NC midterm elections: 2022 vs. 2026
Graphic of accepted ballots from Latino voters ages 18 to 24 during the first 11 days of early voting in North Carolina.
Although early voting figures do not yet reflect final turnout, they point to a growing presence of young Latinos at the polls.
Their participation could influence the overall results for the Latino community, in which young people carry considerable demographic weight. Approximately 109,700 Latinos ages 18 to 25 were registered to vote, representing one-third of the registered Latino population, according to an Enlace Latino NC analysis based on NCSBE data as of March 3, 2026.
The increase in early voting comes as community organizations and political parties seek to overcome historically low voter turnout among young Latinos.
The early voting period, which ends October 31, is key to these efforts. In North Carolina, eligible voters can register on the same day during early voting.
In 2024, the median age of the Latino electorate was 35, compared with 48 among all eligible voters in the state, whether registered or not, according to UCLA’s Latino Politics and Policy Institute.
Finding guidance and community
Jacqueline Guifarro, 18, is preparing to vote for the first time. According to Guifarro, her parents have not actively participated in elections in recent years. But she said resources available at NC State, such as the university’s Pack to the Polls initiative, have helped her become better informed.
“Knowing that I don’t have a support system at home that can guide me on how to vote, but that I do have one at the university, has helped me. That disconnect affected me, but now that I know there are resources available, I want to vote,” Guifarro told Enlace Latino NC.
Verónica Terriquez is director of the Chicano Studies Research Center at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) and author of the book Learning to Lead, about how youth organizations facilitate civic and political participation. Terriquez said young people often care deeply about local issues but do not always connect them to the ballot box.
“Most young people care about the future of their communities,” Terriquez told Enlace Latino NC. “But there is often a disconnect between what happens in elections and what they see happening in their communities.”
Her research for the book found that nonpartisan youth groups help young people understand local government. Terriquez also highlighted the importance of interracial and interethnic solidarity in states where young immigrants are a minority, such as North Carolina.
“When African Americans, white Americans or Latinos who are not immigrants support civic initiatives, that helps motivate and validate the experiences of young immigrants,” Terriquez said. “It also provides them with protection.”
At NC State, Emily Rios, 21, president of Cultura Sin Fronteras, a student organization, is helping create those opportunities.
Ríos said she voted for the first time in the 2024 presidential election alongside her older sister. Her mother cannot vote, she explained, and her father’s work as a truck driver makes it difficult for him to find time to participate.
Health care costs are among her concerns. She described how some of her relatives sometimes postpone seeking treatment because of the expenses.
Ríos organized a panel with Education Justice Alliance on October 5 to educate people about Latino civic participation.
“We want to have a celebration so that students leave feeling more excited than scared,” Ríos told Enlace Latino NC. “When you’re afraid, you’re less likely to vote. But knowing that there are other people doing it with you feels really good.”
The competition for the Latino vote
For Camilo Garavito, 18, who will vote for the first time, looking for housing for his second year of college has made affordability a concern. Immigration policies also matter to him because of their effects on his friends, he said.
One of the races in which organizations are seeking to mobilize Latinos voting for the first time, like Garavito, is the U.S. Senate race. The contest pits Republican Michael Whatley against Democrat Roy Cooper, a former North Carolina governor.
The last two U.S. Senate elections in North Carolina were decided by fewer than 4 percentage points.
Although organizations mobilizing Latino voters identify similar concerns, they propose different political approaches to addressing them.
Silvia Restrepo, director of community engagement for the conservative organization The LIBRE Initiative in North Carolina, said the cost of living, housing and access to health care consistently come up in conversations with residents. She argues that reducing taxes and regulations can help families keep more of their income.
Restrepo distinguished between the year-round public policy advocacy work of The LIBRE Initiative and the electoral work of its political arm, LIBRE Action, which has endorsed Michael Whatley, the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate.
“Michael Whatley is focused on tax relief; it’s a very good opportunity to bring a fresh face to the Senate rather than the same old career politician,” Restrepo told Enlace Latino NC, referring to the 40-year career of former Democratic Gov. Cooper.
She also emphasized that the Hispanic electorate “is not a monolithic or partisan community, but rather votes for results.”
Regarding the immigration debate, Restrepo acknowledged that it is a complex issue with “different shades of gray.” She explained that while some people feel afraid or believe law enforcement could be handled differently, many Latino voters support border control and security efforts to protect their neighborhoods.
For these reasons, Restrepo expects the trend of support for conservative policies to continue among a significant segment of the Hispanic electorate this fall.
For his part, Irving Zavaleta, who leads the work of the progressive organization Mi Familia Vota in North Carolina and Georgia, offered a different assessment of the obstacles these communities face.
Zavaleta distinguished between its educational arm, Mi Familia en Acción, and its political arm, Mi Familia Vota, which supports former Democratic Gov. Cooper.
He highlighted his support for the candidate because of his vetoes of laws considered anti-immigrant and the expansion of Medicaid during his administration. In contrast, he described Republican Whatley as “a rubber stamp for Trump who will give him a blank check for his policies.”
“In our homes, we didn’t grow up being taught to go vote, not because we didn’t care, but because many of us didn’t have parents who could do so because of their legal status. That’s why organizations like ours are key to demystifying this entire process and making sure young people know their rights,” Zavaleta said.
Rafael Collazo, executive director of the UnidosUS Action Fund, the nation’s largest nonpartisan organization dedicated to defending Hispanic civil rights, said trusted local organizations are essential to engaging young Latino voters, including those voting for the first time.
“Latino voters in North Carolina will have an enormous impact on which party controls the House of Representatives and the Senate at the federal level,” Collazo told Enlace Latino NC.
“We’re talking about a decision by an extremely significant voting bloc,” he added.
Political parties’ strategies
Community organizations are not the only ones seeking to mobilize young Latinos in North Carolina. Political parties are also trying to attract them with messages about the economy, immigration and opportunities for new generations.
“Young Latino voters are absolutely crucial to our path to victory in North Carolina,” Nathaniel Linville, president of the Young Democrats of North Carolina caucus, told Enlace Latino NC about the Senate race.
For Linville, the cost of living, job uncertainty and immigration policies are among these voters’ main concerns. He also highlighted the difficulties recent graduates face in finding employment amid changes driven by artificial intelligence.
“Young voters, especially young Latino voters, want ICE’s actions to be restricted, the agency to be eliminated or whatever is necessary to stop the chaos and violence being inflicted on our neighbors,” Linville added.
To mobilize these voters, the North Carolina Young Democrats sent 60,000 text messages with election reminders. Meanwhile, Democratic candidate Cooper’s campaign launched “Latino Leaders for Roy” on July 15, organizing community gatherings and outreach activities.
On the Republican side, Sandy Moyer, president of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly of North Carolina, also identified the economy as a priority for young Latinos.
Moyer told Enlace Latino NC that tax incentives, policies for small businesses and the creation of job opportunities are appealing aspects of the Republican Party.
On immigration, Moyer said: “The United States has a responsibility, as a sovereign nation, to prioritize its citizens.”
However, she acknowledged that Republicans have lost ground among Latino voters. She believes part of the problem lies in how the party communicates its immigration policies.
As an example, Moyer cited the Republican-backed state law HB 318, which requires sheriffs to cooperate with ICE under certain circumstances. In her view, the law has been taken out of context in media coverage. That, she said, has generated fear in Latino communities because the requirements it establishes for certain detentions have not been explained.
Moyer maintained that direct contact with communities can help clarify the legislation and counteract fear. Her organization holds workshops, participates in Latino festivals and conducts door-to-door visits to talk with voters.
In 2022, the Republican Party promoted the Operación ¡Vamos! initiative to mobilize the Hispanic vote in support of Ted Budd in North Carolina’s Senate race and races in other states. For 2026, however, the party has not publicly announced an equivalent campaign targeting these voters in the state.
The positions of both leaders within their respective parties reflect different strategies for connecting with young Latinos. The challenge for both will be to turn their outreach efforts into voter participation.
Getting to the polls
Students in North Carolina are also adapting to a change in the locations where they can vote early.
On June 12, Wake County replaced the voting site at Talley Student Union with the Western Boulevard Business Services building. These sites are approximately one mile apart.
In addition to this change, voting sites at NC A&T, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Western Carolina University were eliminated.
In the case of NC State, Republican members of the board of elections cited parking access as the reason for the change. Students and voting rights advocates argued that Talley’s central location made voting easier.
Even with this change, Wake has 18 early voting sites, Olivia McCall, the county’s elections director, told Enlace Latino NC. It is the largest number for a midterm election in the county, she added.
However, students like Ríos criticize the loss of the familiar location in the student center. College student Garavito also noted that transportation can be complicated for first-year students. He described some friends’ plans to share a car to reach the voting site.
To mitigate the impact of the voting site change, the university’s nonpartisan initiative, Pack the Polls, made a free bus available. It operates from October 21 to 31 to transport students to the new voting location on Western Boulevard.
Historic growth and expectations for November
Participation among Latino voters ages 18 to 25 in the state’s primary elections increased by 258.7% over four years. This was the largest percentage increase among all age groups, according to an Enlace Latino NC analysis based on data from the State Board of Elections.
A total of 6,341 Latino voters in that age group participated in the March 2026 primaries, compared with 1,768 in 2022. Their share of all Latino participants rose from 12.8% to 21.6%.
All age groups in the Latino community saw growth. The 26-to-40 age group added more voters in absolute numbers (4,807, compared with 4,573 among younger voters), but its percentage increase was smaller: 141%.
The young Latino vote in NC primaries: 2022 vs. 2026
Comparison of the number of Latino voters ages 18 to 25 and ages 26 to 40.
CHART HERE
Even so, turnout in that primary election remained below average because young people make up a considerable share of the electorate. Of the approximately 109,700 registered Latinos ages 18 to 25, around 5.8% voted, compared with 8.5% of all registered Latino voters in the March primaries.
Looking ahead to the midterm elections, Ramírez sees both enthusiasm and disinterest. His friends are encouraging others to participate, but when he worked with the community organization El Pueblo to register voters during a festival in Raleigh on September 20, he encountered people who saw no reason to vote.
“I think people feel so overwhelmed by everything that’s happening right now that they just cover their ears and hope everything turns out OK,” Ramírez said, referring to a sense of frustration among voters over immigration policies and the cost of living.
For Ramírez, encouraging participation also means reaching people outside his circle of politically active friends, including those who wonder whether voting will really change their lives.
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