Five Facts on Voting in America
Over 66 million Americans have already voted early or via mail in the 2020 election. With Election Day just days away, here are five facts on voting in the U.S.
- American women have been voting at higher rates than men.
In every presidential election since 1984 women have had slightly higher turnout rates than men. In the 2016 presidential election 63% of women eligible to vote cast ballots, while turnout for men was at around 59%, according to a Pew Research survey.
- White voters generally have had the highest voter turnout rates among all ethnicities.
Since 1980 white voters have had turnout rates above 60%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The only exception was in 2012, when white voters had a turnout rate of 64% and black voters had a rate of 66%. Although historically Hispanic and Asian voters have been the least likely to vote, since 2000 turnout rates among Hispanic and Asian voters have been slightly increasing. In 2000 only 45% of Hispanic voters and 44% of Asian voters turned out but in 2016 turnout rates were 48% and 49%, respectively.
- Several swing states have seen a substantial increase in voter registration for the 2020 election.
This year both parties have sought to add voters to the rolls in battleground states, according to a Bloomberg report. For example, since 2016, 378,000 Democrats in Ohio have registered to vote. In North Carolina 247,000 Republicans registered and in Pennsylvania 214,000 Republicans registered. Other key states have had smaller net gains: Nevada had 4,000 Republicans added to the rolls and Arizona and Iowa both had 17,000 Democrats registered to vote.
- Maine, Washington D.C., and Minnesota have the highest voter registration as a share of their voting-age population.
According to a voter survey from 2018 Maine has around 78.4% of its voting-age population registered, Washington D.C. has 77.6%, and Minnesota has 74.9%. The states with the lowest voter registration as a share of their voting-age populations are Hawaii, Arkansas, and Idaho – with 53.9%, 58.5%, and 60.6% respectively.
- Maryland and Wyoming have the widest voter registration imbalance between Republicans and Democrats.
Maryland has a 29-point partisan difference within registered voters, with 55% identifying as Democrat and only 26% as Republican, according to a University of Virgina Center for Politics study. Wyoming has a 49-point difference, as 67% of its registered voters identify as Republicans and 18% as Democrats. Other states with large voting imbalances include Idaho and Utah, with a 41-point and a 37-point difference, respectively. The states with the slimmest partisan margins are Arkansas, with almost equal Republican and Democratic voter registration, and Colorado, with a 1-point lead for Democrats. In ten states — Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island — there are more registered independents than Republicans or Democrats.
No Labels is an organization of Democrats, Republicans, and independents working to bring American leaders together to solve problems.
