Young voters under the age of 30 had a major impact on the midterm’s elections of 2022. Their electoral participation was the second highest level of youth participation in at least thirty years, behind only the 2018 midterm election.  Because Latinos are among the country's youngest racial and ethnic groups, with an average age of 30, it's almost impossible to understand Latino voters without recognizing their connection to the U.S. youth vote.

Most young Latino voters voted for a Democratic candidate on Election Day, however, the issues and priorities that motivated them to vote varied within the young electoral bloc.

A series of analyses from CIRCLE, the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University, which studies young voters, sought  to understand what those motivations were. According to the researchers, data-based analysis from the National Election Group Exit Survey conducted by Edison Research National Election Pool “sheds light on the issues youth cared about most and how it shaped their vote choice. Understanding how young people connected with various issues in this cycle is critical to engaging them effectively and authentically in elections”.

According to the research findings, “Young people (18-29) who voted in the 2022 midterms said abortion was the top issue influencing their vote, followed by inflation and crime, out of five possible choices which they were presented; 4 in 5 youth who believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases voted for a Democratic candidate to the House of Representatives; More young female voters cited abortion as a top motivating issue than young men; Gun control continues to draw significant support and climate change remains a serious concern for young voters; Among all age groups surveyed, youth were the most likely to say that their views of President Biden played no role in their 2022 midterm vote”.

Their data also found that Latinas supported Democrats at a higher rate than Latino men (79% versus 64%).

“As pre-election surveys also indicated, according to the exit polls, youth were the age group most likely to say abortion should be legal in all or most cases (72%). That view was reflected in their vote choice, as young people who expressed that position on abortion voted for Democratic candidates by an extraordinary 64-point margin: 80% for Democrats vs. 16% for Republicans”, according to the survey.

According to the 2022 midterm election poll in 9 of the 11 battleground states tracked, Latino voters listed abortion rights as one of the top five issues motivating them to vote.

This election poll found that inflation was the main issue that motivated Latino voters in 11 swing states. But the rest of his top priorities varied between states.

According to NBCNews, “In Texas, Latinos were more concerned about mass shootings, which was their second most important issue, followed by gas prices. Following tragic mass shootings in El Paso and Uvalde, which disproportionately impacted Hispanics, ‘that clearly is a top issue for Latinos, because we’ve felt the consequences’, Cristina Tzintzún, president of NextGen America, a progressive advocacy nonprofit and political action committee”.

Latino voters in seven other battleground states (Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Colorado and Arizona) listed mass shootings as one of the top five issues motivating them to vote. Latino voters in Florida, Nevada and Wisconsin said crime was a motivating issue.

CIRCLE's analysis showed that “Gun policy was the most important issue for 9% of young voters, and gun control policies continue to get broad support from young people. Seventy percent of young voters said they support gun control, with Latino (77%) and female respondents (82%) offering especially strong support. Notably, young women without a college degree were just as likely to say gun policy was their top priority as inflation”.

“Other issues top of mind for Latino voters were health care, climate change, affordable housing, border security, immigrant rights and racisms and discrimination, according to the 2022 Midterm Election Voter Poll”, according to NBC.