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Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for May 7, 2018
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
May 7, 2018: The U.S. Census Bureau reports that 74% of the nation’s 21 million government workers voted in Election 2016. That’s a higher rate than private sector workers and those not in the workforce.[1]
Voter turnout among self-employed Americans was 67%. Those retired or not in the workforce for some other reason turned out at a 58% rate. Among those who worked for a private company, turnout was 61%.
Overall, government employees represent 9% of the U.S. population but cast 11% of the votes in 2016. Government employees are generally more supportive of higher taxes and activist government than other Americans. As a result, the higher levels of turnout among those paid by taxpayers could have significant policy implications.
If private sector employees turned out at the same rate as government employees, an additional 22 million private sector workers would have voted. That’s more than the total number of votes cast by all government employees.
If all those retired or otherwise not in the workforce had voted at the same 74% rate as government employees, they would have cast an additional 16 million votes. Again, that’s more than the total number of 15 million votes cast by those on the public payroll.
The turnout discrepancy was even greater in the 2014 midterm elections. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of government employees voted. That was higher than the turnout for the self-employed (47%), those who were employed in the private sector (39%), and those not in the workforce (42%). As a result, 12% of all votes cast in 2014 were cast by government workers representing just 9% of the population.
| Reported voting by employment status, November 2016 (in thousands) | If voting at rate of government employees (in thousands, pro forma) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment status | Total | Voted | Percent | Total | Increase |
| Not in labor force | 87,753 | 47,208 | 58.4 | 63,363 | 16,155 |
| Government workers | 21,141 | 15,265 | 74.4 | 15,265 | - |
| Private industry | 120,135 | 66,242 | 61.4 | 86,744 | 20,502 |
| Self-employed | 9,603 | 5,742 | 66.8 | 6,934 | 1,192 |
| Unemployed | 6,869 | 3,081 | 49.8 | 4,960 | 1,879 |
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.
- May 4, 2018 – 3.5 million Americans moved from highest-taxed states to lowest over past decade
- May 3, 2018 – 25 percent of Americans have confidence in elected officials
- May 2, 2018 – 32 percent of white Democrats believe in God of the Bible
- May 1, 2018 – 53 percent of college students believe promoting diversity is more important than free speech
- April 30, 2018 – 8,640 retail store closings in U.S. during 2017
- To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.
Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia weekdays at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. Click here to check out the latest update.
The Number of the Day is broadcast on local stations across the country. An archive of these broadcasts can be found here.
Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
Ballotpedia is the nonprofit, nonpartisan Encyclopedia of American Politics.
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