Trends
Rates of Youth Voting and Registration: These data are percentages of the total 18- to 24-year-old population who registered to vote and who actually voted in elections from 2000 to 2010. Data is from the U.S. Census Current Population Survey.
To view or compare state data, select up to six jurisdictions below and click "View Data."
View Data
United States
United States
| Alabama | Louisiana | Oklahoma |
| Alaska | Maine | Oregon |
| Arizona | Maryland | Pennsylvania |
| Arkansas | Massachusetts | Puerto Rico |
| California | Michigan | Rhode Island |
| Colorado | Minnesota | South Carolina |
| Connecticut | Mississippi | South Dakota |
| Delaware | Missouri | Tennessee |
| District of Columbia | Montana | Texas |
| Florida | Nebraska | Utah |
| Georgia | Nevada | Vermont |
| Hawaii | New Hampshire | Virgin Islands |
| Idaho | New Jersey | Virginia |
| Illinois | New Mexico | Washington |
| Indiana | New York | West Virginia |
| Iowa | North Carolina | Wisconsin |
| Kansas | North Dakota | Wyoming |
| Kentucky | Ohio |
Midterm Elections. Voter turnout in midterm elections (2002, 2006 and 2010 in this data set) has historically been significantly lower than in primary elections. Even at its peak in 1960, the percentage of eligible Americans who turned out to vote in a midterm election never surpassed 65 percent.
Resource:
This chart compares trends in voter registration, turnout and turnout of registered voters across the 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008 presidential elections. It shows that turnout of those registered was highest for young people in 2008, indicating that get-out-the-vote efforts to young people have been improving.