Roughly 250 million U.S. citizens are eligible to vote in the 2026 midterm elections, with Hispanic and Asian Americans accounting for a growing share of the electorate, according to new research from Pew Research Center.
The number of eligible voters has increased by 8.4 million, or about 3 percent, since the 2022 midterms. More than half of that growth came from Hispanic Americans.
Hispanic eligible voters increased by 5.2 million between 2022 and 2026 to 39 million, a gain of 16 percent. They now represent 16 percent of the electorate and are the second-largest racial or ethnic group of eligible voters behind White Americans.
Much of that growth came from U.S.-born Hispanics reaching adulthood. More than 4 million Hispanics turned 18 between 2022 and 2026, accounting for about 80 percent of the increase in Hispanic eligible voters. Roughly 1 million Hispanic adults also became naturalized citizens during that period.
Asian eligible voters grew even faster on a percentage basis, increasing by about 20 percent to 13.7 million. Pew said the growth was split roughly evenly between naturalized immigrants and U.S.-born Asians reaching voting age.
White Americans remain the largest group, accounting for 61 percent of eligible voters, but their share has declined substantially from 74 percent in 2006. The number of White eligible voters also fell by 2.6 million since 2022 to about 153 million.
Black eligible voters increased by about 1.6 million to 31 million and account for roughly 12 percent of the electorate, a share that has changed little over the past two decades.
The report comes as local broadcasters continue to see healthy spending from campaigns and causes in the final stretch of the 2026 midterm election cycle, with more than $6.1 billion committed to broadcast TV and radio stations.
The data shows the electorate looks considerably different from years past particularly in states and markets where Hispanic and Asian eligible voters have grown quickly. For local broadcasters, that could mean more demand for narrower audience segments, more multilingual creative and more campaign spending directed toward specific communities rather than broad demographic groups: States like California, Texas, Arizona and New Mexico stand out because Hispanic voters make up a sizable share of the electorate, while California and Hawaii also have large Asian voting populations. That creates opportunities for stations with strong local news brands, Spanish-language programming or digital products that can help campaigns reach those audiences with more precision.
It could also reinforce the value of multi-platform political advertising: Younger Hispanic and Asian voters may be harder to reach through linear television alone, while older voters remain heavy TV users. Campaigns and advocacy groups may increasingly pair traditional local TV buys with streaming, connected television and digital inventory to build reach across age groups.
Pew based its 2026 national projections on Census Bureau population estimates, while state-level figures and demographic characteristics rely on 2024 American Community Survey data.
The full report is available to view by clicking or tapping here.
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