In the 2024 election, how many people did not cast a ballot?
Despite the close contest between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, tens of
millions of Americans chose to remain at home.
In the 2024 general election, which
attracted over 150 million voters, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump
won the popular vote for the first time in 20 years.
Nevertheless, preliminary data from the University of Florida's Election Lab
indicates that millions of Americans who were eligible to vote in the general
election of 2024 did not, in a year when control of the White House, Senate,
and House of Representatives were all decided by narrow margins.
How Many People Didn't Cast a Ballot?
Nearly 90 million.
About 245 million Americans were eligible to vote in the general election of
2024, according to data from the University of Florida Election Lab.
The Election Lab defines the
voting-eligible population in the United States as "the voting-age
population (those 18 years or older in the U.S.) minus ineligible noncitizens
and felons." This number is based on the voting-eligible population, not
registered voters. The lab claims that it is a "more consistent"
indicator of voter turnout.
Additionally, preliminary election data indicates that approximately 155
million ballots were cast, though the process is still ongoing. This indicates
that around 36% of the nation's voting-age population, or 89 million Americans,
did not cast ballots in the general election of 2024.
How Did Voter Turnout in 2024 Compare to Past Elections?
Preliminary data shows that about 64% of the voting-eligible
population in the U.S. voted in the 2024 election.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic-related
extension of early voting and mail-in, the 2020 general election saw the
highest voter turnout rate of the twenty-first century, with 66% of the
electorate casting ballots.
In comparison, the general election in 2016 saw a 60% turnout of the eligible
electorate, while the 2012 general election saw an even lower turnout of 58%.
In 2024, which states seen the highest and lowest turnout ?
According to the Election Lab's 2024 data, more than three-quarters of the
eligible voting population in two states have already cast ballots in the 2024
election. The two states with the greatest voter turnout rates were Minnesota
(76.41%) and Wisconsin (76.37%).
Conversely, slightly over half of the voting-eligible population of Arkansas
(53.47%), Hawaii (50.27%), and Oklahoma (53.28%) has so far participated in the
2024 election, making these states have the lowest turnout rates in the United
States.