Huge Voter Turnout in 2020

We knew voter turnout was big in 2020. What we didn't know until now was which demographic segments were responsible for the big turnout. And the answer is—all of them. 

The answer comes from the Voting and Registration Supplement to the Current Population Survey which, according to the Census Bureau, "is the most comprehensive data source available on the social and demographic composition of the electorate in federal elections." The bureau fields the supplement after each mid-term and presidential election to track the demographics of voters. The 2020 supplement was fielded November 15-24, shortly after the presidential election. The supplement asked respondents if they had registered to vote in the November 3 election, whether they had voted, and if not why not.

Overall, 155 million American citizens aged 18 or older reported voting in the November 2020 election—66.8 percent of the electorate. This is the highest voting rate since 1992 (Bill Clinton versus George H.W. Bush), when 67.7 percent voted. 

Voter participation increased in every race and Hispanic origin group in 2020, with record levels of voting by Asians, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic whites. Although Black voter participation was higher in 2020 than in most other election years, it did not set a record. The 62.6 percent Black voter participation rate in 2020 ranked third behind 2008 and 2012 when Barack Obama was running for president.

Percent of citizens aged 18-plus who voted in November 2020 by race and Hispanic origin

Total citizens 18-plus: 66.8%

Asians: 59.7% (record high)

Blacks: 62.6%

Hispanics: 53.7% (record high)

Non-Hispanic whites: 70.9% (record high)

Voter participation also climbed to a record high in every age group in 2020. Among adults aged 18 to 24, voter participation exceeded 50 percent for the first time. 

Percent of citizens aged 18-plus who voted in November 2020 by age group

Total citizens 18-plus: 66.8%

Aged 18 to 24: 51.4% (record high)

Aged 25 to 44: 62.6% (record high)

Aged 45 to 64: 71.0% (record high)

Aged 65-plus: 74.5% (record high)

Overall, 71 percent of voters in the 2020 election were non-Hispanic whites. Sixty percent were aged 45 or older. But the share of all voters who were non-Hispanic whites aged 45 or older fell to 45 percent in 2020, down from 48 percent in 2016.

Source: Census Bureau, Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2020

All Eyes on the Young Adult Vote

If young adults do what they say, the 2020 election may be one for the history books. Fully 55 percent of 18-to-36-year-olds say they will "definitely vote" in next week's election, according to the University of Chicago's GenForward Survey. Another 19 percent say they will "probably vote." If they do as they say, then voter turnout of the 18-to-36 age group may exceed the 54 percent who voted in the 2008 election, which swept Barack Obama into the White House. 

Young adults are notorious for not voting, a frustration for those who seek progressive change and a boon to those who want to maintain the status quo. In the 2016 presidential election, just 49.8 percent of citizens aged 18 to 36 voted, according to the Census Bureau. In the 2012 election, the figure was 49.2 percent. But the GenForward survey results suggest greater enthusiasm this time around. The majority of 18-to-36-year-olds say they have "quite a bit/great deal" of interest in this election. Here are the percentages who say they will definitely vote by race and Hispanic origin...

Percent of 18-to-36-year-olds who say they will definitely vote in the 2020 presidential election

Total: 55%

Asians: 56%

Blacks: 59%

Hispanics: 49%

Non-Hispanic whites: 57%

Source: GenForward, Politics 2020, Protest, Racism, and Policing