All around the word, eyes turned to the United States during last week’s 2026 Midterm Elections. With what many consider to be a shocking number of flipped seats in both the Senate and House of Representatives, much of the post-election day buzz has centered on national trends and upsets. As a result, it is all too easy to forget about the local and state-level work of everyday people that help an election run smoothly. Last Tuesday, November 3, the University of Virginia School of Law chapter of the American Constitution Society (ACS) organized a group of motivated Law Hoos to lend a few more helping hands in the effort to let the voices of Virginians be heard on a national scale.
ACS Co-Directors of Pro Bono and Voting Rights Sami Himmelfarb ’28 and Camden Harris ’28 began efforts earlier this semester to coordinate with Virginia Election Protection—a statewide voter advocacy organization—to provide “Legal Advocates” to assist with day-of voting procedures.
“As Election Protection legal advocates, law students have the opportunity to serve as non-partisan observers who record whether polls have opened on time, are accessible to those with disabilities, or are following electioneering guidelines,” explained Harris. “Students can also obtain written declarations from voters who had any difficulty voting. Ultimately, this information can be used to make election officials or courts aware of shortcomings or interference and can support potential legal action.”
“Election Protection does the important behind-the-scenes work of training volunteers and assigning them to sites throughout the area, and we work with them to solicit and train UVA Law volunteers as pro bono legal advocates at the polls,” said Himmelfarb. Harris elaborated: “We coordinated with them in securing volunteers, setting up trainings, and making materials available to students. Our President, Yashi Gunawardena [’28], and Professor Sarah Shalf [’01] were also both tremendously helpful in the process and in coordinating!””
The effects of a smooth voting process cannot be overstated. The 2026 midterms saw the second-highest overall voter turnout for a midterm election since 1914.[1] The most dramatic shifts, however, are not reflected in the ordinary voter turnout figures. Last Tuesday saw massive shifts in voter participation within specific demographics. For instance, this cycle has seen a dramatic increase in participation by voters of color. In Georgia, the gap between the percentage of white versus black registered voters who participated in the midterm election narrowed to the smallest it had been since 2012.[2] Last Tuesday saw a similar increase in the participation of young voters. Current estimates indicate that the 2026 midterms had the second-highest midterm youth voter turnout in the past thirty years.[3]
Source: Wikimedia Commons
A number of factors can impact why a person may or may not participate in a given election. Logistical difficulties and lack of sufficient information on voting processes remained significant barriers to young voters (and especially young voters of color) in the 2024 election. Assuring that all eligible voters face the minimum necessary barriers to participation can have significant effects on election outcomes. For example, NBC’s exit polls suggest that over 70% of voters aged 18-29 voted for democratic candidates, compared to a 50/50 split between parties in the 65 and over demographic.[4] Organizations like Virginia Election Protection help increase voter participation by trying to lower these participation barriers.
“We've worked with them in recent years to coordinate pro bono efforts for elections and hope to continue to partner,” Himmelfarb said. Reflecting on the scale of the collaborative effort, she stated: “Coordinating 40+ volunteers and communicating with a very busy partner organization during election season definitely presented some challenges, but because everyone was so enthusiastic and committed to the cause, it all worked out in the end.”
On the role that the Law School students took in the effort, she explained, “Overall, legal advocates are just meant to be a friendly face that, hopefully, anyone feels comfortable approaching with any questions or concerns. We know everyone has different experiences and perspectives when it comes to voting, and our goal is to help in whatever way we can and hopefully ensure they feel heard and comfortable.”
As Harris reflected, “Being able to advocate for voters and ensure that they were able to cast their ballots was more than enough to keep us . . . energized! We were happy to be advocates with ACS and Election Protection last year and . . . had a great experience this year as well!”
Last week’s volunteer effort is far from the last opportunity that Law Hoos will have to get involved in voter protection work. According to Harris, “ACS works to get students involved any time there’s an election, whether it be through legal advocacy like on Election Day or through Voter Registration Drives like we had earlier this year. Students looking to be involved with volunteer efforts later in the academic year should be sure to be in the ACS GroupMe and signed up for our emails!”
For updates on other ACS news and events, be sure to check out the organization’s Instagram page,[5] or email ACS Secretary William Wong ’28 at yzm4tp@virginia.edu to join the organization’s listserv.
[1] https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/surprising-turnout-rates-2026-midterms
[2] Id.
[3] https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/2026-youth-voter-turnout-second-highest-last-30-years
[4] https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-elections/exit-polls
[5] @acsuvalaw
Author: Emma Lawson ’28, hzy2ny@virginia.edu