NextGen America Partners with Ballot Builder to Grow Youth Participation in Local Elections

Youth vote org collabs with ballot resource to grow civic participation

Washington, DC — NextGen America is collaborating with Ballot Builder, a nonpartisan voter guide resource, to educate young voters on candidates’ policy positions and help them make a plan to vote before Election Day. The partnership between NextGen America and Ballot Builder allows students on college campuses to create their own ballot and aims to grow civic participation and excitement for local elections.

The ballot tool is a non-partisan, fact-based, resource that allows students to learn more about candidates’ policy positions on key issues like the economy, the environment, and healthcare, among other top issues. The tool, which populates based on a student’s address, includes races at both the state and local level and enables users to explore their voting options. Once completed, these digital ballots can be saved for users to reference on or before Election Day. The tool also sends election reminders and information to ensure users make a plan to vote.

“NextGen is proud to partner with Ballot Builder to create a helpful resource for young voters nationwide,” said Victoria Yang, Interim President of NextGen America. “In order to grow youth voter participation, it is essential we meet them where they’re at with facts and educate them on key issues. This tool educates young people on the impact of state and local elected officials in their communities, and empowers them to show up for issues they care about. With electoral disinformation on the rise, this ballot tool equips young people with the resources and facts to make decisions that reflect their values.”

“Many Americans, especially young people, can feel overwhelmed by politics and worry their personal actions can’t change anything,” said Walter Ley, Founder and CEO of Branch Politics. “This guide highlights the state and local races to show young people how their voices and votes carry real weight, empowering them to make a difference on the issues that matter most to them.”

This partnership reflects recent youth vote polling that shows engaging young people on issues is an impactful means to grow civic interest and participation. Looking ahead to the 2026 midterms, NextGen America will continue their work to educate, engage, and turn out young people in elections.

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About NextGen America

NextGen America is the leading national organization for engaging young people through voter education, registration and mobilization. We invite 18-to-29 year olds — the largest and most diverse generation in American history — into our democracy to ensure our government works for them and to find new solutions to the dire challenges facing our society and the world. Since 2013, NextGen America has registered over 1.6 million young voters, empowering the next generation to lead and drive lasting change.