In 2024, 64% of the population turned out to vote in the general election.

You read correctly, just over half the population. In fact, U.S. voter turnout ranks 31 out of 35 developed countries according to a Pew Research Center study.

In the U.S. the responsibility for registration falls squarely on the voter and according to Pew, “registered voters represent a much smaller share of potential voters in the U.S. than just about any other OECD [Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development] country. Only about 64% of the U.S. voting-age population… was registered in 2016, according to the Census Bureau report, compared with 91% in Canada (2015) and the UK (2017), 96% in Sweden (2014), and 99% in Slovakia (2016). Voter turnout is linked directly to age, with the youngest of the population having the lowest turnout and the oldest having the highest. The gap between turnout of the oldest and youngest voting blocks (60+ and 18-29) in 2018 was about 35%.”

That’s dismal. With so many urgent issues that need to be addressed in America, from climate change, to education, to infrastructure, to healthcare, to inequality, and so on… we need each citizen to actively participate in the process. Every voice must be heard and counted, or no change will occur. There are simple ways to improve turnout. The majority of the world votes on Sundays and citizens are automatically registered at birth (in some places like Australia voting is mandatory). Here in the U.S., Oregon is the only US state to use automatic voter registration.

According to a 2001 study of state and federal elections in the United States between 1898 and 1992, "one of every 100,000 votes cast in U.S. elections, and one of every 15,000 votes cast in state elections, "mattered" in the sense that they were cast for a candidate that officially tied or won by one vote." - Wikipedia

The reasons that people don’t vote run the gamut, from apathy to blatant inequality and lack of education. But in order to change the system, people must engage. You can’t complain if you don’t participate.

Get registered, click here to learn more.
Refresh your electoral knowledge, click here to learn more.
Get involved, click here for some ideas.

Image Credit: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, photograph by Harris & Ewing, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USZ62-123456]