As the 2026 midterm elections are around the corner, MSU’s Rx Kids program is associated with bolstering voter turnout and engagement as well as improving public health.

According to new research supported by Rx Kids, a first-in-the-nation community-wide prenatal and infant cash prescription program, is strengthening civic engagement, especially among women of childbearing age.

Rx Kids launched in Flint in 2024 as a public-private partnership offering $1,500 during pregnancy and $500 per month for the first six to 12 months of a baby’s life to combat financial insecurity and improve health outcomes. The program has now expanded to over 15 communities across Michigan.

Research led by Corwin Smidt, an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at Michigan State University, shows that after Rx Kids launched, young women in Flint, Michigan, voted more than other Flint groups (older women and men) with higher voter turnout than peers in similar communities.