Youth Voter Turnout in the 2008 and 2006 Elections:
A State-by-State Comparison
By Surbhi Godsay, Amanda Nover, and Emily Hoban Kirby1
September 2010
The 2008 presidential election saw a two percentage point increase in youth (18-29) voter
turnout since 2004. This could mark the beginning of an upward trend in youth voter
turnout, as there was a nine percentage point increase in youth voter turnout between the
2000 and 2004 elections. Youth turnout in 2008 was not evenly distributed across
educational, racial, or gender lines. For example, young white voters made no gains in
turnout between 2004 and 2008, whereas almost all minority groups saw substantial
increases. As illustrated in this fact sheet, youth voter turnout figures also vary from state
to state.
State by State Voter Turnout for 2008
Youth (age 18-29) voter turnout in 2008 was highest for the following states: Minnesota
(68%), Iowa (63%), New Hampshire (62%), and Virginia and Oregon (59%). Conversely,
Hawaii had the lowest youth voter turnout at a rate of 31%. Arkansas (35%), Utah (37%)
and Texas (39%) all had comparatively low voting rates as well.2
Figure 1: 18-29 Turnout among Citizens in the 2008 Presidential Election by State
80%
70%
60%
US 51.1%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
D.C*
MN
IA
NH
OR
VA
WI
ME
MS
ND*
LA
MD
MI
MO
NC
OH
WA
DE*
AL
CA
FL
NJ
PA
RI*
SC
CO
CT
GA
IL
KY
WY
AK*
NV
IN
MA
NE
OK
VT
WV
AZ
NM
NY
ID*
MT*
TN
KS
SD*
TX
UT
AR
HI
0%
Source; Current Population Survey November Supplement, 2008
Age Gap
For adults age 30 and older voter turnout ranged from a low of 55% in West Virginia to a
high of 77% in Minnesota. Adults age 30 and older had a national average of 67%, one
percentage point less than the 2004 election.
Across all states, youth voter turnout (18-29) was approximately 16 percentage points
lower than the 30 and over turnout – slightly less than the 19 percentage point gap seen in
the 2004 elections.
Unlike the past election, the majority of states did not see an increase in youth voter
turnout between 2004 and 2008. However, some states witnessed large increases in
their youth voter turnout. Virginia had a 16 percentage point increase in youth voter
turnout, while North Carolina increased 10 percentage points.
On the other hand, some states faced tremendous decreases in youth voter turnout since
2004. Utah – a state which had a 16 percentage point increase in youth voter turnout
(ages 18-29) between 2000 and 2004, decreased in 2008 by 19 percentage points.
Wisconsin follows with a decrease of seven percentage points.
2008 and 2006 Youth Share
Another way to assess the participation on young people in elections is to look at their
“share” of the voting population. The voter turnout rate is the most often cited measure
(calculated by dividing the number of voters by the eligible population) because it accounts
for population shifts over time. However, the youth share can provide information about
how represented young people are in a given election compared to their population in the
state. Youth vote share is always smaller than youth population share, suggesting that
young voters are less represented than older people. In some states, however, the shares
come fairly close. For example, in MN in 2008, 21% of the citizen population was between
the ages of 18 and 29 and 18% of MN voters in the 2008 Presidential election were 18-to-29
year-olds (see Figures 2 and 3).
Figure 2: MN Share of Voters by Age
19%
81%
Figure 3: MN Share of Citizens by Age
18‐29 voter share
21%
30+ voter share
79%
18‐29 citizen share
30+ citizen share
To be well represented in the state’s voting pool, the share of young voters in a given
election would match their share of the citizen population for that state. In these states, the
gap in turnout between younger and older voters is smaller. In 2008, states that had youth
voter shares that came close to their share of the citizen population included MN, IA, WV,
OR, NH and VA (see Table 3 for a complete listing). In 2006, states that had youth voter
shares that came closest to their share of the citizen population included WI, GA, MI, VA
and MN (see Table 4 for a complete listing).
2
State by State Voter Turnout for 2006
In 2006, youth voter turnout rates among citizens age 18-29 were highest in Minnesota
(43%), Wisconsin (40%), and Michigan (39%). However, voting rates were lowest in West
Virginia, Utah, and Texas, all of which had turnout rates of 17%. Among adults 30 and over,
West Virginia had the lowest voting rate (41%) contrasting with Minnesota’s high youth
voting rate of 71%. Nationally, youth voter turnout in 2006 was 26%, whereas voter turnout
for the 30 and over population was 54%. Turnout among 18-to-29 year-olds increased by
three percentage points between 2002 and 2006 while turnout among voters age 30 and
above only increased by one point between the two elections.
Figure 4: 18-29 Turnout among Citizens in the 2006 Midterm Election by State
50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
MN
WI
MI
MT*
SD
RI
MA
MD
ME
MO
OR
VA
CO
OH
AK*
GA
ID*
ND*
WA
DC*
KY
IA
NE
AL
VT*
WY*
CA
DE*
MS
NM
OK
PA
SC
AZ
IL
IN
TN
CT
NJ
AR
HI
NC
KS
NV
FL
NH
NY
LA
TX
UT
WV
10%
5%
0%
Source: CPS November Supplement, 2006
Nationally, youth voter turnout was about 28 percentage points lower than the adult voter
turnout rate. This is slightly less than the 30 percentage point gap between the youth an
adult voter turnout in the 2002 midterm election. Comparatively, Georgia had the smallest
gap between youth and adult voter turnout, at approximately 18 percentage points. New
Mexico, on the other hand, had a significant 37 percentage point gap between the youth and
adult vote in 2006.
Much like the 1994 midterm elections, the 2006 midterm elections followed a presidential
election with high youth voter turnout. Comparing these two midterm cycles, a varied
pattern is evident. For the most part, there are slight differences in youth turnout rates
between the 1994 and 2002 elections. In some states, however, youth turnout in 2006
increased substantially over the 1994 election: Wisconsin (+13% points), Kentucky (+11%
points), and Georgia and Minnesota (+10% points). On the other hand, turnout decreased in
New York and California (-12% points), and Utah (-10% points) between the two elections.
3
Table 1: Voter Turnout Among Citizens in Presidential Elections
Voter
Turnout
Among 18- to
29- year- old
Citizens in
2008
Voter Turnout
Among 30
year old and
older Citizens
in 2008
Difference in
Voter Turnout
between 18-to
29- year- olds
and 30+
citizens3
Voter
Turnout
Among 18- to
29-year- old
Citizens in
2004
Change in
Youth Voter
Turnout
between 2004
and 20084
Voter
Turnout
Among 18-to
29 year-old
Citizens in
1972
Change in
Youth Voter
Turnout
Between 1972
and 20085
Alabama
Alaska*
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware*
D.C.*
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho*
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana*
Nebraska
Nevada
New
Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota*
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island*
South Carolina
South Dakota*
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont*
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming*
53%
49%
47%
35%
53%
52%
52%
54%
76%
53%
51%
31%
46%
51%
48%
63%
45%
50%
56%
57%
56%
48%
56%
68%
57%
55%
46%
48%
49%
62%
65%
70%
64%
60%
66%
73%
71%
71%
73%
66%
68%
57%
66%
66%
63%
72%
68%
66%
74%
74%
72%
71%
71%
77%
74%
69%
70%
73%
63%
+12% points
+21% points
+17% points
+25% points
+13% points
+21% points
+19% points
+17% points
-3% points
+13% points
+17% points
+26% points
+20% points
+15% points
+15% points
+9% points
+23% points
+16% points
+18% points
+17% points
+16% points
+23% points
+15% points
+9% points
+17% points
+14% points
+24% points
+25% points
+14% points
+12% points
47%
58%
46%
40%
46%
50%
44%
50%
59%
49%
49%
34%
49%
50%
41%
60%
45%
60%
52%
59%
50%
51%
55%
71%
52%
52%
51%
46%
43%
+ 6% points
-9% points
+ 1% point
-5% points
+ 7% points
+ 2% points
+ 8% points
+ 4% points
+ 17% points
+ 4% points
+ 2% points
-3% points
-3% points
+ 1% point
+ 7% points
+ 3% points
0% points
- 10% points
+ 4% points
-2% points
+ 6% points
- 3% points
+ 1% point
-3% points
+ 5% points
+ 3% points
-5% points
+ 2% points
+ 6% points
46%
52%
46%
44%
65%
62%
63%
63%
42%
51%
45%
64%
65%
61%
58%
67%
60%
44%
50%
44%
57%
62%
56%
70%
48%
58%
72%
60%
44%
+ 7% points
-3% points
+ 1% points
-9% points
-12 % point
-10% points
-11% points
-9% points
+ 34% points
+ 2% points
+ 6% points
-33% points
-19% point
-10% points
-10% points
-4% points
-15% points
+ 6% points
+ 6% points
+ 13% points
-1% points
-14% points
0% points
-2% points
+ 9% points
-3% points
-26% points
-12% points
+ 5% points
53%
47%
47%
55%
57%
55%
48%
59%
53%
53%
53%
44%
46%
39%
37%
48%
59%
55%
48%
58%
50%
74%
67%
67%
62%
71%
71%
68%
62%
70%
65%
71%
69%
75%
58%
62%
60%
69%
71%
70%
55%
75%
68%
+14% points
+20% points
+15% points
+16% points
+14% points
+13% points
+14% points
+11% points
+12% points
+18% points
+16% points
+31% points
+12% points
+23% points
+23% points
+21% points
+12% points
+15% points
+7% points
+17% points
+18% points
58%
51%
47%
49%
45%
56%
54%
45%
55%
48%
44%
46%
49%
40%
42%
56%
39%
43%
53%
49%
65%
53%
+ 4% points
+ 2% points
0% points
-2% points
+ 10% points
+ 1% point
+ 1% point
+ 3% points
+ 4% points
+ 5% points
+ 9% points
+ 7% points
-5% points
+ 6% points
-3% points
-19% points
+ 9% points
+ 16% points
+ 2% points
-1% point
-7% points
-3% points
45%
58%
52%
60%
40%
67%
55%
59%
55%
47%
70%
41%
73%
48%
50%
70%
35%
44%
58%
55%
58%
60%
+ 17% points
-5% points
-5% points
-13% points
+ 15% points
-10% points
0% points
-11% points
+ 4% points
+ 6% points
-17% point
+12% points
-29% points
-2% points
-11% points
-33% points
+ 13% points
+ 15% points
-3% points
-7% points
0% points
-10% points
National
51%
67%
+16% points
49%
+ 2% points
55%
+ 12% points
State
* Youth voting estimates for the states of Alaska, Delaware, DC, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Rhode Island,
South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming may have a large margin of error according to the US Census Bureau.
However, they are the only estimate we have for youth voting in these4states. Youth voting estimates for
these states should be interpreted with caution.
Table 2: Voter Turnout Among Citizens in Midterms Elections
Voter
Turnout
Among 18-to29-year- old
Citizens in
2006
Voter Turnout
Among 30year- old and
older Citizens
in 2006
Difference in
Voter Turnout
between 18-to
29- year- olds
and 30+
citizens6
Voter
Turnout
Among 18-29
year old
Citizens in
2002
Change in
Youth Voter
Turnout
between 2002
and 20067.
Voter
Turnout
Among 18-29
year old
Citizens in
1994
Change in
Youth Voter
Turnout
between 1994
and 20068.
Alabama
Alaska*
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware*
D.C.*
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho*
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana*
Nebraska
Nevada
New
Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota*
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island*
South Carolina
South Dakota*
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont*
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming*
26%
30%
23%
21%
25%
31%
22%
25%
29%
19%
30%
21%
30%
23%
23%
27%
20%
28%
18%
32%
33%
34%
39%
43%
25%
32%
39%
27%
20%
57%
62%
53%
52%
54%
61%
55%
51%
58%
50%
48%
49%
58%
54%
52%
63%
54%
55%
46%
64%
62%
60%
62%
71%
48%
61%
66%
59%
48%
+ 31% points
+ 32% points
+ 30% points
+ 31% points
+ 29% points
+ 30% points
+ 33% points
+ 26% points
+ 29% points
+ 31% points
+ 18% points
+ 28% points
+ 28% points
+ 31% points
+ 29% points
+ 36% points
+ 34% points
+ 27% points
+ 28% points
+ 32% points
+ 29% points
+ 26% points
+ 23% points
+ 28% points
+ 23% points
+ 29% points
+ 27% points
+ 32% points
+ 28% points
31%
34%
14%
21%
22%
29%
23%
15%
32%
23%
22%
20%
24%
23%
19%
23%
23%
30%
28%
31%
24%
23%
25%
45%
21%
26%
26%
24%
22%
-5% points
-4% points
9% points
0% points
3% points
2% points
-1% point
10% points
-3% points
-5% points
7% points
1% point
6% points
0% points
4% points
4% points
-3% points
-2% points
-10% points
1% point
9% points
11% points
13% points
-2% points
4% points
6% points
13% points
3% points
-2% points
-5% points
31%
36%
21%
21%
37%
24%
24%
16%
47%
23%
19%
27%
32%
23%
14%
33%
19%
17%
17%
37%
33%
32%
32%
33%
27%
37%
34%
26%
20%
-5% points
-6% points
2% points
0% points
-12% points
7% points
-2% points
9% points
-18% points
-5% points
10% points
-6% points
-2% points
0% points
9% points
-6% points
1% point
11% points
1% point
-5% points
0% points
2% points
6% points
10% points
-2% points
-5% points
5% points
1% point
0% points
19%
22%
25%
19%
21%
30%
31%
25%
32%
25%
35%
24%
39%
23%
17%
17%
26%
32%
30%
17%
40%
26%
55%
48%
62%
49%
45%
63%
59%
53%
67%
53%
65%
51%
71%
51%
45%
47%
65%
51%
59%
41%
63%
60%
+ 36% points
+ 26% points
+ 37% points
+ 30% points
+ 24% points
+ 33% points
+ 28% points
+ 28% points
+ 35% points
+ 28% points
+ 30% points
+ 27% points
+ 32% points
+ 28% points
+ 28% points
+ 30% points
+ 39% points
+ 19% points
+ 29% points
+ 24% points
+ 23% points
+ 34% points
17%
18%
21%
18%
33%
21%
25%
30%
21%
20%
27%
36%
21%
17%
22%
20%
18%
20%
15%
24%
30%
5% points
7% points
-2% points
3% points
-3% points
10% points
0% points
2% points
4% points
15% points
-3% points
3% points
2% points
0% points
-5% points
6% points
14% points
10% points
1% point
16% points
-4% points
23%
24%
26%
31%
17%
35%
24%
21%
38%
19%
40%
27%
37%
27%
20%
27%
19%
26%
25%
16%
27%
42%
-4% points
-2% points
-1% point
-12% points
4% points
-5% points
7% points
4% points
-6% points
6% points
-5% points
-3% points
2% points
-4% points
-3% points
-10% points
7% points
6% points
5% points
0% points
13% points
-16% points
National
26%
54%
+28% points
22%
3% points
26%
-1% point
State
24%
* Youth voting estimates for the states of Alaska, Delaware, DC, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Rhode Island,
South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming may have a large margin of error according to the US Census Bureau.
5 states. Youth voting estimates for
However, they are the only estimate we have for youth voting in these
these states should be interpreted with caution.
Table 3: 2008 Voter Share vs. Citizen Share Among 18-to-29 Year-Old Citizens
State
HI
SD
AR
TX
UT
NE
KS
MA
MT
VT
ID
NM
AK
CO
CT
WY
AZ
IN
KY
RI
LA
GA
ME
DE
SC
NY
WI
NV
OK
IL
MD
MS
NC
MI
TN
NJ
WA
MO
FL
CA
ND
OH
PA
AL
VA
NH
OR
WV
IA
MN
DC
18-29
voter
share
12.4%
15.2%
16.4%
17.0%
21.4%
15.9%
15.5%
12.5%
14.6%
15.3%
17.1%
16.3%
19.3%
17.2%
14.0%
17.0%
18.3%
14.4%
15.5%
16.2%
16.9%
17.9%
13.9%
16.7%
16.4%
17.2%
17.3%
18.1%
18.0%
17.3%
17.3%
19.7%
16.0%
16.6%
16.5%
16.6%
16.7%
18.3%
15.9%
19.0%
20.2%
16.9%
17.1%
19.6%
16.8%
18.3%
15.9%
16.2%
18.5%
18.8%
28.7%
18-29
citizen
share
21%
24%
25%
25%
31%
22%
22%
18%
21%
20%
23%
22%
25%
23%
18%
22%
23%
18%
20%
21%
21%
23%
17%
21%
21%
21%
21%
22%
22%
21%
21%
24%
20%
20%
20%
20%
20%
22%
19%
23%
24%
20%
20%
23%
20%
21%
18%
18%
20%
21%
28%
voter
share/citizen
share
59%
64%
65%
69%
69%
71%
71%
71%
71%
75%
75%
75%
76%
76%
77%
78%
79%
79%
79%
79%
79%
79%
80%
80%
80%
80%
81%
81%
81%
81%
81%
82%
82%
82%
82%
83%
83%
83%
83%
84%
84%
84%
85%
85%
85%
87%
88%
89%
90%
91%
103%
6
Table 4: 2006 Voter Share vs. Citizen Share Among 18-to-29 Year-Old Citizens
State
WI
GA
MI
VA
MN
MT
SD
MA
MO
OH
RI
MS
DC
MD
ID
CO
KY
WA
DE
ND
AK
ME
OK
SC
OR
NE
NC
AL
PA
CA
TN
NJ
IN
IA
IL
AZ
HI
NV
AR
NM
VT
UT
NY
WV
LA
TX
KS
CT
FL
NH
18-29 vote
share
18-29
citizen
share
15.7%
15.9%
12.7%
12.4%
13.7%
14.9%
14.9%
11.3%
13.7%
13.1%
11.4%
12.2%
16.0%
11.3%
12.3%
12.8%
12.0%
11.4%
11.1%
13.5%
11.9%
10.1%
12.5%
11.0%
10.8%
12.9%
10.7%
12.0%
10.4%
11.3%
10.3%
9.1%
11.1%
11.0%
10.3%
9.9%
8.9%
9.2%
9.7%
9.6%
9.6%
15.5%
9.3%
8.0%
10.0%
10.4%
9.3%
7.3%
7.5%
7.6%
22.7%
23.7%
19.0%
18.6%
20.6%
22.9%
24.2%
18.7%
22.9%
22.1%
19.3%
20.8%
27.3%
19.3%
21.1%
22.5%
21.3%
20.4%
20.2%
24.6%
21.7%
18.6%
23.2%
20.5%
20.4%
24.5%
20.4%
22.9%
20.0%
21.8%
20.2%
17.9%
22.0%
22.3%
21.0%
20.2%
18.8%
19.6%
20.7%
20.7%
20.8%
33.8%
20.6%
17.8%
22.4%
23.5%
21.3%
16.9%
18.0%
19.0%
voter
share/citizen
share
69%
67%
67%
67%
67%
65%
62%
60%
60%
59%
59%
59%
59%
59%
58%
57%
56%
56%
55%
55%
55%
54%
54%
54%
53%
53%
53%
52%
52%
52%
51%
51%
50%
49%
49%
49%
47%
47%
47%
46%
46%
46%
45%
45%
45%
44%
44%
43%
42%
40%
7
NOTES
Researcher, Research Intern, and Lead Researcher respectively. We thank Mark Hugo Lopez
and Karlos Barrios Marcelo for their 2006 Fact Sheet “Youth Voter Turnout in the States during
the 2005 Presidential and 2002 Midterm Elections: Ages 18-29” upon which this fact sheet is
based.
2
Youth voting estimates for the states of Alaska, Delaware, DC, Idaho, Montana, North
Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming may have a large margin of
error according to the US Census Bureau. However, they are the only estimate we have for
youth voting in these states and we have chosen to include them in our figures and tables.
Youth voting estimates for these states should be interpreted with caution.
3
This is calculated by taking the 30+ voter turnout rate and subtracting the 18-29 voter
turnout rate.
4
This is obtained by taking the 2004 voter turnout figure and subtracting it from the 2008
voter turnout figure. Thus, a negative number represents a decline between 2004 and 2008.
A positive number represents an improvement between 2004 and 2008.
5
This is obtained by taking the 1972 voter turnout figure and subtracting it from the 2008
voter turnout figure. Thus, a negative number represents a decline between 1972 and 2008.
A positive number represents an improvement between 1972 and 2008.
6
This is calculated by taking the 30+ voter turnout rate and subtracting the 18-29 voter
turnout rate.
7
This is calculated by taking the 2002 voter turnout figure and subtracting from it the 2006
voter turnout figure. Thus, a negative number represents a decline between 2002 and 2006.
A positive number represents an improvement between 2002 and 2006.
8
This is calculated by taking the 1994 voter turnout figure and subtracting from it the 2006
voter turnout figure. Thus, a negative number represents a decline between 1994 and 2006.
A positive number represents an improvement between 1994 and 2006.
1
8