By Laurie Mason Schroeder, Armchair Lehigh Valley
This story first appeared on Armchair Lehigh Valley and is being published on themorningcall.com as part of a partnership with the website, which aims to give voters factual information in a nonpartisan way to help them make informed decisions at the polls. Armchair Lehigh Valley is run by publisher Katherine Reinhard and editor Robert H. Orenstein, two former Morning Call employees. Learn more about Armchair Lehigh Valley and subscribe at armchairlehighvalley.substack.com/.
For the first time, a Gallup poll found that more than 50% of young adults in the U.S. are labeling themselves as political independents.
With the midterm election less than a year away, alarmed party leaders on both sides of the aisle are trying to figure out how to win over a demographic that could be pivotal in determining control of Congress.
Toward that end, Democrats and Republicans in the Lehigh Valley have launched clubs geared toward party members ages 40 and under.
“We are seeing young people slip from party labels and we understand that,” said Andres Weller, chair of the newly formed Lehigh Young Republicans. “They feel disillusioned with party politics, they kind of feel homeless. We’re here to rebuild that trust and engage them.”
Shad Yoder, president and founder of the Lehigh Valley Young Democrats, said appealing to this group of unaffiliated voters was very much on members’ minds when the organization was rechartered in November.
“When young voters turn out, they decide election outcomes,” Yoder said. “It is so important to the founding members and myself that we create a space for young voters to see that they are not alone and indeed are powerful when organized.”
It makes sense that young Democratic and Republican chapters in a key political region like the Lehigh Valley would be seen as critical to these efforts, said Chris Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion.
“Both the Democrat and Republican brands are not good right now, especially among younger voters. The record number of Americans that do not affiliate with a party is testament to the diminished image of the two major parties. To turn that around the parties have to start to rebuild their standing, most importantly among younger voters. To do so, engagement is key and local organizations are on the front lines of such efforts,” Borick said.
Independents shake up registration
Gallup has been polling Americans on their political leanings since 1988. In 2025, the pollster surveyed 13,000 adults, not just registered voters. According to the results, 54% of millennials (those born 1981-96) and 56% of Generation Z (those born 1997-2007) described themselves as independents.
Overall, 45% of all voters polled said they were independents — a number that Gallup said grew 2 percentage points in a year because of younger Americans. Among all those surveyed, the survey found 27% identified as Democrats while an equal percentage called themselves Republicans.
Ideological identification doesn’t mean a person isn’t registered with a political party. But dissatisfaction with the two-party system among young voters can be seen in registration data.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of State, Lehigh and Northampton counties have 45,262 registered voters between the ages of 18 to 24 with 13,098, or 28%, of those voters not affiliated with either major party.
Among all voters in the Lehigh Valley, about 20% are not affiliated with either party, a number that grew by 7 percentage points since 2000. Statewide the number is 16%.
Nationwide, both Democrats and Republicans have their work cut out for them if they want to reach young voters, said Thom Reilly, a professor in the School of Public Affairs and co-director of the Center For an Independent and Sustainable Democracy at Arizona State University.
While voters of past generations tended to align with one party or the other as they aged, that’s not happening today.
“This is a pretty radical departure,” Reilly said.
In a 2024 survey of 1,315 registered voters in Arizona between the ages of 20 and 30 that Reilly and others conducted, respondents overwhelmingly felt that the two major parties were not working in the best interest of the country, and over two-thirds of those questioned felt that the current political system is not working for their generation.
Compounding this disconnect is the fact that young people do not get their information from traditional sources such as newspapers, but are more likely to learn about issues through social media, he said.
“So the parties are trying to figure out how to reach them through social media, but where do they start? Young people may be on pages dedicated to music or fashion or athletics, not politics. Both parties are beginning to realize how hard it is to get their message across.”
The Lehigh Valley Young Democrats was organized to reach young voters in Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties. People of any age may attend meetings but those over 40 won’t have voting rights, Yoder said.
Yoder said young voters may not realize how important they are in the electoral process so sharing enthusiasm about his party is more important than ever.
“If you are a young voter in the Lehigh Valley, tired of the shameful and destructive politics coming out of the White House right now and want to be a part of grassroots efforts to improve the quality of living for everyone, then the Lehigh Valley Young Dems is for you,” he said.
The group meets at 6:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month. February’s location has not been announced. People interested in attending can reach the group through Instagram or Lehigh Valley Young Democrats website.
Yoder said the club has hosted speakers such as state Rep. Steve Samuelson, who represents the 135th District, and has organized activities, including a feminine product donation drive.
In February, the group plans to talk about hosting a debate for the seven Democrats running in the May 19 primary in the 7th Congressional District.
It also has been working to recruit young party members.
“We have dedicated outreach coordinators who are amazingly connected in the community. We have had success building relationships between the college Democrats chapters at Lehigh and Muhlenberg, as well as recruited students from Lafayette as well. There is obviously a lot more room to grow but through our website and social media, it has been great to see new faces consistently at every meeting,” Yoder said.
The Lehigh Young Republicans launched Jan. 19, said Weller, who is also the campaign manager for U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie’s bid for a second term and part-time senior adviser of Mackenzie’s. It is open to Republicans ages 18 to 40.
“As the Lehigh Valley grows in importance on the state and national level, this new chapter will provide young Republicans the opportunity to lead,” said Weller. “Young conservatives now have a home — a place to engage with like-minded individuals, support Republican candidates at every level, and advance our values.”
Weller said meetings will not only be fun but also a place where young voters can be surrounded by people their own age so that they’ll hopefully feel comfortable asking questions.
“They want to get involved, but don’t know where to start. We meet them where they’re at in life to help them get there. It’s all about building them up,” he said.
The Lehigh Young Republicans will also meet monthly. Their meetings will focus on energizing young GOP members and showing them how to take action. Potential members can reach out to the group via Facebook or X.
“We are already activating young people to assist with phone banking and door knocking for the upcoming state House special election [to replace Josh Siegel, who resigned to become Lehigh County executive],” Weller said. “Our goal is not only to involve young Republicans but also to help them learn how to effectively participate in the political process.”
The Lehigh Young Republicans have also connected to college Republican chapters and already have 60 members and a growing contact list.
“We have only been officially recognized by the Pennsylvania Young Republican Federation for one week, making this early growth especially encouraging,” Weller said.