OutVote’s LGBTQ+ Gen Z organizers reached more than 220,000 voters in IA-01, MI-07 and NC-11, and more than 2.6 million online, as young voters cast one of the most decisive generational votes on record
LGBTQ+ young people helped decide three of the nation’s most competitive House races on Tuesday. In IA-01, MI-07 and NC-11, where OutVote’s LGBTQ+ Gen Z organizers spent the cycle mobilizing their peers, voters elected pro-LGBTQ+ candidates who spoke to the issues most important to young voters: lowering costs, affordable health care and the freedom to live openly, proudly and safely.
In response to more than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in state legislatures and more than $280 million in anti-trans attack ads, young voters cast one of the most decisive generational votes ever recorded in a national election.
Gen Z is the queerest and fastest-growing generation of voters in America, with as many as one in three identifying as LGBTQ+ and nearly 50 million eligible to vote this year. Through a network of 22 Fellows and 12 paid organizers, OutVote combined peer-to-peer and digital organizing to reach more than 220,000 voters across Iowa, Michigan, and North Carolina, and helped register nearly 6,000. Its digital program reached more than 2.6 million voters online.
Isaac James, OutVote co-founder and executive director, released the following statement:
“OutVote was built on the idea that LGBTQ+ youth have the power to determine outcomes where it matters most, and on Tuesday, we proved it. Opponents of equality spent years organizing against LGBTQ+ youth, spent hundreds of millions of dollars on ads reheating their nachos from 2024, and supported anti-equality candidates in three of the nation’s most competitive House races: IA-01, MI-07, and NC-11.
“OutVote responded in these districts with youth-led, peer-to-peer organizing and messaging focused on affordability and LGBTQ+ rights, helping to drive record turnout and deliver wins for candidates who share our values. Congratulations to Christina Bohannan, Will Lawrence, and Jamie Ager. Today, we celebrate the progress we’ve made, and tomorrow, we get back to work helping LGBTQ+ youth exercise our power.”
What the Results Show
A historic youth vote: Young voters ages 18–29 broke decisively in House races this year, according to Tufts CIRCLE’s analysis of The Voter Poll by SSRS. Their 47-point margin was the widest CIRCLE has recorded in a national election.
LGBTQ+ voters showed up together: LGBTQ+ voters made up 8% of the electorate — about one in every 12 voters — and were among the most unified voting blocs in the country, according to the NBC News Exit Poll.
Attacks on trans people didn’t work: Opponents of LGBTQ+ equality spent more than $280 million on anti-trans broadcast and streaming ads this cycle, according to AdImpact data cited by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. The strategy did not stop young and LGBTQ+ voters from turning out for candidates who share their values.
Values, not just identity: Before the election, a Williams Institute survey of LGBTQ+ Gen Z eligible voters found they are more likely to support candidates who share their values than candidates who only share their identity. Tuesday’s results bore that out.
Why OutVote Organized in IA-01, MI-07 and NC-11
MI-07: Tufts CIRCLE ranked MI-07 the nation’s top district for youth electoral impact for the second cycle in a row. Home to Michigan State University and a substantial LGBTQ+ Gen Z population, the district elected Will Lawrence over incumbent Tom Barrett. Lawrence carried Ingham County, home to MSU, by nearly 49,000 votes — almost four times his districtwide margin. Barrett had voted for the 2025 tax-and-spending law that cut Medicaid, food assistance and student aid, voted to uphold tariffs, and backed a federal bill blocking transgender women and girls from school sports.
IA-01: Home to Iowa City and the University of Iowa, IA-01 ranks among CIRCLE’s highest-impact districts for youth civic engagement. Christina Bohannan unseated Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks with roughly 53% of the vote. Miller-Meeks had cast the same votes on Medicaid, student aid, tariffs and transgender athletes.
NC-11: Anchored by Asheville, which has one of North Carolina’s highest concentrations of LGBTQ+ residents, NC-11 joins strong LGBTQ+ cultural hubs with rural communities where affirming civic infrastructure is harder to find. Jamie Ager won with about 57% of the vote, including nearly three-quarters of the vote in Buncombe County. His opponent, state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom, was a primary sponsor of North Carolina’s ban on transgender girls and women in school sports and voted to expand state-funded private-school vouchers.
About OutVote
OutVote is a national, Gen Z-led organization dedicated to mobilizing young LGBTQ+ Americans through civic education, organizing and research. Through organizing, education, and research, we connect queer and trans young people with the information, skills, and community to participate in civic life.
Learn more: outvotehq.org
