October 27th, 2020
The 2018 election had higher voter turnout than is typical of midterm elections. Still, only 52.0% or less of the voting-age population in our region made it to the polls that year. In recent presidential elections, national voter turnout was around 60%. In general, less urbanized areas have a higher percentage of voters. Voter turnout also varies by age, gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Overall, voters are whiter, wealthier, and better educated than people who do not vote. This year with the widespread use of mail in ballots and high numbers of people showing up for early voting, what will the turnout be? It will certainly be interesting to see this map after the upcoming November election.
