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Voter turnout in presidential elections, 1840-2024
Date: November 5, 2024  |
 Kamala Harris (D) Donald Trump (R) (won) Jill Stein (G) Chase Oliver (L) |
2028 • 2024 • 2020 • 2016 |
This page provides voter turnout statistics for presidential elections taking place from 1840 through 2024. In addition to the raw number of ballots cast, the percentage of the population who participated in each election was compiled. These turnout rates are calculated in one of two forms:[1]
- Voting age population (VAP): This figure represents the population that resides in the United States, including non-citizens and felons.
- Voting eligible population (VEP): This figure represents the population eligible to vote in the presidential election based on age, citizenship, and felony status.
Between 1920 and 2020, the election with the highest VAP participation (63.3%) was the presidential race in 1952. From 1920 to 2024, the 2020 presidential election had the highest VEP participation (66.6%). It also had the highest raw turnout in U.S. history with 158.4 million ballots cast for president.
According to Michael P. McDonald, a political science professor at the University of Florida, the VEP is a more accurate representation of turnout since the portion of non-citizens and felons in the United States has increased over the past 50 years.[1]
McDonald wrote, "Declining turnout rates, post-1971, are entirely explained by the increase in the ineligible population. In 1972, the non-citizen population of the United States was less than 2 percent of VAP and in 2004 it was nearly 8.5 percent of VAP. The percent of non-felons among the VAP have increased from .5 to about 1 percent of the VAP since the mid-1980s."[1]
This page provides VAP and VEP turnout rates and an overview of turnout by party.
VAP overview, 1840-2020
The following chart shows the percentage of the voting age population that cast a ballot in presidential elections between 1840-2020.
The VAP turnout rate was compiled from the Federal Election Commission for elections from 1980 through 2020. For earlier elections, data from the American Presidency Project at UC Santa Barbara was used.[2][3]
VEP overview, 1840-2024
The following chart shows the percentage of the voting eligible population that cast a ballot in presidential elections between 1840-2024.
The estimated VEP turnout rate was compiled from the United States Elections Project managed by Michael P. Donald at the University of Florida.[4]
Raw voter turnout by party
The most votes cast for any presidential candidate—81,283,501 votes—went to Joe Biden (D) in the 2020 presidential election. Donald Trump (R) received the most votes for a Republican candidate in history in the 2024 presidential election.
The following chart compares the raw voter turnout numbers for Democratic and Republican votes cast in presidential elections from 1856 to 2024.
Ballotpedia Trend Quiz
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 United States Elections Project, "Why should I care if turnout rates are calculated as percentage of VAP or VEP?" accessed July 31, 2020
- ↑ FEC, "Election and voting information," accessed December 20, 2022
- ↑ American Presidency Project, "Elections," accessed July 31, 2020
- ↑ United States Elections Project, "Home," accessed December 20, 2022
