What happens when the generation that is expected to carry democracy forward no longer trusts the system that sustains it? Newly released evidence from the 52nd biannual Harvard Youth Poll suggests that younger people are losing confidence in fair and free elections due to a lack of trust in government institutions as a whole. This lack of trust can be traced in part to growing efforts to change nationwide voting laws, which may have grave implications for the future of the U.S. electoral system.
Americans have expressed a concerning level of pessimism toward the U.S. election system. According to recent data from the Spring 2026 Harvard Youth Poll, run by the Harvard Public Opinion Project, only 33% of Americans ages 18 to 29 believe that the 2026 midterm elections for Congress will be conducted fairly and accurately. Most interestingly, the data across parties is shockingly similar, indicating that the lack of electoral trust among many young Americans is bipartisan.
Such a strikingly low level of confidence highlights a broader trend among younger Americans: a growing skepticism not only toward elections themselves, but also toward the institutions responsible for conducting them. According to the MIT Election Data and Science Lab, “The stability of democracy depends in part on public belief in the legitimacy of elections, which has been called into question in the U.S.” Confidence in democracy depends heavily on the belief that electoral outcomes reflect the will of the people, and when that belief begins to erode, so too does the legitimacy of the system as a whole.
Even more concerningly, young Americans’ lack of confidence in electoral integrity is complemented by a lack of trust in the central institutions of our nation. According to the HPOP poll, 39% of young Americans trust the U.S. military to always or usually do the right thing. On the other hand, only 19% believe the same of the President, with even lower responses for Congress, the Supreme Court, and the “federal government” in general. Taken in tandem with the aforementioned data about electoral trust, young Americans’ distrust of government institutions reveals a more worrisome trend: A loss of trust in elections is grounded not only in worries about electoral integrity, but also on disillusionment with the system as a whole. When the institutions that uphold the fairness of elections — such as the Supreme Court — lose standing in the eyes of the American public, trust in the fairness of elections falters as well. The integrity of the electoral system is only as strong as the institutions that protect it; when one fails, so does the other.
When examining the political actions and systematic issues weakening America’s electoral system, there is perhaps no better example than the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. The recently-proposed bill would require voters to present a valid form of documentation that establishes their identity as a U.S. citizen. While this bill on the one hand seeks to address the concerns of election security that drive many voters to distrust the fairness of elections, it amplifies concerns about unfair restriction to elections through the way in which voter citizenship would now be verified. According to the bill, the only forms of identification that are considered valid on their own are a U.S. Passport or Passport Card, an Enhanced Driver’s License, or a Naturalization Certificate issued by the Department of Homeland Security. Alternatively, a government-issued ID, such as a regular driver’s license, can be presented, but only when supplemented with additional documents, such as hospital records or birth certificates. By requiring these documents, opponents of this bill argue that the bill effectively imposes a “poll tax” on U.S. citizens; passports alone cost $165, which will likely prevent younger and less wealthy Americans from exercising their right to vote.
The natural counterargument to this is that passports are not the only form of documentation that can verify U.S. citizenship, with government-issued IDs and supporting documents establishing the same status. However, even this alternative system has its faults. For example, if a woman changes her last name after marriage, making it inconsistent with her birth certificate, she would be required to provide additional documentation to verify her eligibility to vote. Importantly, a marriage certificate verifying her eligibility or a sworn statement takes significant time and effort to obtain, which imposes an additional burden on women and those who have changed their name for any reason. Even if this grave issue were resolved, the bill would still impose many stringent regulations and requirements on voters, which would undoubtedly decrease turnout and engagement, thus weakening our democracy.
As debates over policies like the SAVE America Act grow more prominent, they contribute to a broader perception that election rules are becoming increasingly uncertain. For younger Americans, this uncertainty can reinforce doubts about whether elections are truly fair and accessible, weakening trust in both electoral outcomes and the institutions that oversee them. Furthermore, this trend represents a process of deterioration that will only grow. When trust in our institutions fades, trust in their ability to uphold democracy and fair elections also weakens, creating a cycle that can only be ended through the increasingly precarious balancing act of boosting security and promoting accessibility of elections
Furthermore, the deterioration of electoral trust carries serious long-term consequences. If younger generations continue to lose confidence in electoral integrity, they will become less likely to participate in the democratic process altogether. Lower voter turnout and decreased civic engagement are not just short-term concerns; they weaken the central institution of democracy within the U.S.
Although it is easy to lose confidence in democracy, it is far from over yet — there is still time to save the values that support our democratic system. Of course, rebuilding trust in democracy will not be easy. It will require leaders who uphold the validity of elections and come ready to implement policies that balance security with accessibility and establish greater transparency throughout the electoral system. It will also require young Americans to believe in the promise of democracy enough to participate in the work of improving it.
Unquestionably, those values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that have shaped and redefined the U.S. over the last 250 years still burn brightly in the hearts and minds of our nation, especially among the youth. It is now up to us, as the next generation, to defend and uphold the democracy that those ideals sustain. The promise of this nation and of our democracy will stand, and must stand, for the good of all who will inherit it.
Associate World Editor, Comp Director
