Walsh: Two in Three Young Voters Stayed Home. Here's My Plan to Bring Them Back.
Turnout among NJ voters 40 and under collapsed from 56% in 2024 to 35.7% in 2025. YRFNJ chairman candidate Tim Walsh is running on a year-round infrastructure built to reverse it.
“Welcome Home!”
That should be the Republican Party’s message to the young voters who carried President Trump back to the White House. The 40 and under demographic broke Trump’s way in the 2024 election and thank God they did.
America is once again a land where the rule of law prevails, prosperity is achievable, and sane decisions are made by intelligent leaders. Gen-Z voters in particular are willing and able to organize behind leaders who project authenticity and make them feel “seen” in their approach to modern problems. The New Jersey GOP’s path to regaining their political influence goes right through the youth vote—and that’s where the Young Republicans come in.
The issue isn’t just about convincing young voters to vote for us. In New Jersey, the issue is convincing them to vote, period. As low as turnout was for the 2025 gubernatorial election, the real story is that only 35.7% of voters aged 40 and under turned out to vote. That means almost two in three Young Republican-aged voters stayed home rather than cast a vote for either major party candidate. Compare that with a 56% turnout rate for the same age group in 2024 and it tells you how a state that came within five points of voting for President Trump could turn around and hand Mikie Sherrill a 14-point win.
As Vice Chair of the Young Republican Federation of New Jersey, I’ve been on a mission to fix our generation’s voter turnout. I’ve traveled to all corners of the Garden State to network with Young Republican clubs, candidates, and elected officials. I have spent the last few years creating voter outreach programs and supporting Republican candidates throughout the state. I decided to run for Chairman of the Young Republican Federation of New Jersey because it has become apparent that our organization has declined in membership, recruitment, and grassroots mobilization. The 2025 election demonstrated the need for a stronger year-round grassroots infrastructure that supports candidates at every level of government.
The way forward is through my six-point plan:
1. Rebuild and expand Young Republican membership across all 21 counties by assisting existing clubs and helping establish new organizations where none currently exist.
2. Create a statewide recruitment program focused on college students, young professionals, veterans, tradespeople, entrepreneurs, and first-time Republican voters.
3. Develop a comprehensive candidate and campaign training program that teaches young activists how to knock doors, ballot chase, fundraise, communicate effectively, and run winning campaigns.
4. Establish a statewide volunteer network that can be deployed to support Republican candidates in municipal, county, legislative, congressional, and statewide races
5. Increase engagement with county Republican organizations, elected officials, and Republican clubs to ensure Young Republicans have a seat at the table and a voice in party decision-making.
6. Create leadership development opportunities that prepare young Republicans to serve as campaign managers, municipal committee members, county leaders, candidates, and elected officials.
The future of the Republican Party in New Jersey will not be determined solely by statewide candidates or television advertisements. It will be determined by whether we are willing to invest in the next generation of leaders, organizers, and volunteers. If we want to win tomorrow's elections, we must start building tomorrow's Republican Party today. That is why, with the YRFNJ Achieve Slate, I am asking for your support for Chairman of the Young Republican Federation of New Jersey.
We can do it, and achievement starts now.
Tim Walsh is a lifelong Bergen County resident, public servant, and community leader, and the 2026 Republican candidate for Bergen County Clerk. A paralegal and consultant by background, he is a proud alumnus of Don Bosco Preparatory High School and Montclair State University and an active member of St. Paul Roman Catholic Church in Ramsey. He has served as Chairman of the Bergen County Young Republicans and Vice Chair of the Young Republican Federation of New Jersey, sharpening his skills in organization, advocacy, and uniting people around common goals.
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