What is voter turnout?

Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who actually cast ballots in an election. Voter turnout is one of the most closely watched measures of civic engagement and election competitiveness in the United States. Turnout is typically calculated as the number of votes cast divided by either the voting-age population, the voting-eligible population (which excludes ineligible groups such as non-citizens and people disqualified by felony convictions in some states), or the number of registered voters. Each measure produces different numbers, but voting-eligible population is generally considered the most accurate measure of how many people who could legally vote actually did.

American voter turnout is generally lower than turnout in many other developed democracies. Turnout in U.S. presidential elections has typically ranged from about 50 to 60 percent of the voting-eligible population in recent decades, with the 2020 election reaching about 67 percent and the 2024 election about 64 percent. Turnout in midterm elections is typically lower, ranging from about 35 to 50 percent. Turnout in primary elections, special elections, and local elections is often even lower.

Turnout varies significantly by demographic group. Older Americans typically vote at higher rates than younger Americans. White and Asian American voters typically vote at higher rates than Black and Hispanic voters, though these gaps have narrowed in recent elections. College-educated Americans typically vote at higher rates than non-college-educated Americans. Turnout also varies by state, with states such as Minnesota and Wisconsin typically near the top in turnout and states such as Hawaii and West Virginia typically near the bottom.

State election laws affect turnout significantly. Same-day registration, automatic voter registration, mail-in voting, and convenient early voting options tend to increase turnout. Strict voter identification laws, registration deadlines, limits on early voting, and other restrictions tend to reduce it, though the size of these effects is debated. Compulsory voting, used in some other countries such as Australia, would dramatically increase turnout but is not used in the United States.

Several factors that may explain relatively low U.S. turnout compared to other democracies include the requirement to register before voting (most other countries register voters automatically), elections held on a workday (Tuesday) rather than on weekends or holidays, the frequency of elections (Americans face more elections than voters in most countries), the complexity of the political system, and a lack of competition in many districts due to gerrymandering. Various reforms have been proposed and adopted to increase turnout, including automatic registration, vote-by-mail expansion, and ballot drop boxes.