A smaller share of Americans appear to have voted in these midterm elections than the last one, but in some states, voter enthusiasm exceeded the high mark set in 2018, according to a Washington Post analysis of Associated Press and U.S. Elections Project data.
2022 votes cast as a share of the
voting eligible population
Note: Expected vote totals are used where fewer than 97 percent of votes have been counted.
Votes are still being counted, and in some states, it may take weeks to know the exact number of Americans who voted. But votes counted so far and expected vote totals show divergent turnout rates across states.
Turnout was especially high for a midterm in several battleground states, where expectations of a close contest appeared to boost voter participation. Voter turnout in Pennsylvania is on track to exceed 2018 by four percentage points. Nearly 6 in 10 eligible voters in Wisconsin and Michigan cast a ballot.
But in a handful of states, voter enthusiasm fell far below 2018 levels and was more on par with the record lows seen in 2014. In Mississippi and West Virginia, less than 35 percent of eligible voters participated. In New Jersey and Maryland, turnout is anticipated to be 10 percentage points lower than 2018.
This election failed to bring in the record share of voters who came out in the 2018 midterms, as a blue wave washed over the suburbs in response to Donald Trump’s first two years in office, but turnout is still on track to easily surpass other recent midterms.
Fewer voters typically show up for midterms than general elections, and this year was no different. Turnout in 2020 soared to a modern record, propelled by high stakes and expanded voter access because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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