Panel Examines Democrats' 2026 Midterm Wave Victories

Government faculty at Kresge Auditorium discussed the nationwide midterm results, including record-level youth turnout.

Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Elections

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a simplified civic building facade under a pale sky, with a single red flag above, in navy and cream. — Democrats won a wave of U.S. midterm victories and youth turnout reached its highest level since 1914, faculty panelists said at Kresge Auditorium nine days after the vote. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Government faculty held a teach-in panel titled "Post-Election Teach-In! A Panel Discussion of the Midterm Elections" in Kresge Auditorium, nine days after the 2026 midterms. Democrats won a wave of victories nationwide, with youth and general voter turnout the highest since 1914, except for 2018.

Why it matters

The panel offered faculty explanations for the shifts in the midterm electorate, including the economy and partisanship. The discussion also highlighted legal and procedural questions about ballot challenges that may matter in close races.

Panelists cited a 32-point swing among Latino male voters toward Democrats compared with 2024, and turnout that was the highest since 1914 except for 2018. Panelists offered differing explanations for these shifts, and the panel did not establish their causes.

The players

Jeffrey Selinger

Associate Professor of Government who organized and moderated the teach-in panel for Government and Legal Studies majors and minors.

Caroline Pippert

Visiting Assistant Professor of Government who addressed polling errors and voter turnout on the panel.

Ángel Saavedra Cisneros

Assistant Professor of Government who attributed the strongest electorate shifts to partisanship, the economy and governmental abuses of power.

Maron Sorenson

Associate Professor of Government who argued the midterm would not result in many legal battles.

The details

Associate Professor Jeffrey Selinger organized and moderated the panel, which included Caroline Pippert, Ángel Saavedra Cisneros and Maron Sorenson. Pippert addressed polling errors and turnout and attributed the change to the economy, the job market and U.S. President Donald Trump's war on Iran, while Cisneros pointed to partisanship, the economy and governmental abuses of power. Sorenson argued the midterm would not produce many legal battles, and the panel noted that legal challenges are most common when candidates are separated by less than 0.5 percent of votes.

2018: The only other midterm under a Trump administration with comparable turnout.
2022: UNC Greensboro's polling place was removed from campus.
2024: The polling place was reinstated for the presidential election.
November 3, 2026: The midterm elections were held and the polling place was removed again.
November 12, 2026: The teach-in panel was held in Kresge Auditorium.

Youth
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Democrats Take Control of Congress in Midterms
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Oct. 22
Young Voters Show Strong Support for Democrats

Political Context

The 2026 turnout was matched only by the 2018 midterm under a Trump administration, the only comparable midterm turnout since 1914. Faculty panelists framed the shift as driven by the economy and partisanship, not by a single cause.

Voters in close races should know that legal challenges to ballot results are most common when margins fall below 0.5 percent. Mississippi has no state law establishing an official procedure for challenging ballots, which matters in tight contests.

The takeaway

Election outcomes often reflect multiple overlapping forces, and close margins carry the greatest likelihood of legal challenge. Following the official results and local procedural rules helps readers track how contested races are resolved.