What was the voter turnout rate in the 2024 election?
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Executive summary
The headline figure for national turnout depends on the denominator used: most analysts report a turnout of roughly 64% of the voting‑eligible population (VEP), while the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS) reports 65.3% of the voting‑age population (VAP) cast ballots in 2024; Ballotpedia gives a 63.7% figure using its methodology [1] [2] [3]. These differences are methodological, not contradictions of raw vote counts, and they explain why multiple credible outlets report slightly different percentages for the same election [1] [2].
1. Why the headline number varies: VEP vs. VAP vs. registered
Turnout can be reported as a share of the voting‑eligible population (VEP), the voting‑age population (VAP), or registered voters, and each produces a different percentage; the Election Lab and many media outlets emphasize the VEP measure — which puts 2024 turnout around 63–64% — while the Census CPS uses VAP and reports 65.3% [1] [2] [4]. Ballotpedia’s published overall turnout of 63.7% follows the “total ballots for highest office divided by eligible voters” convention and is therefore consistent with the Election Lab’s VEP‑focused approach [3] [1].
2. The most-cited estimates and how they line up
Major post‑election tabulations cluster: University of Florida Election Lab and outlets citing VEP data put turnout at about 64% [1] [4], Ballotpedia reports 63.7% using its ballot‑count/eligible voter method [3], and the Census Bureau’s CPS places participation at 65.3% of the voting‑age population [2]. Pew’s analysis rounds to roughly 64% as well, calling 2024 the second‑highest turnout year in modern times — below 2020’s 66% but well above most prior elections [5].
3. What these differences imply about the scale of participation
Across credible sources, the consistent takeaway is that 2024 was among the highest turnout elections in recent history: whether 63.7% (Ballotpedia), ~64% (Election Lab/Pew), or 65.3% (CPS), all estimates place 2024 well above typical midterm levels and only slightly below 2020’s record highs [3] [1] [2] [5]. Analysts emphasize that the modest drop from 2020 was concentrated in non‑competitive states, while many battlegrounds equaled or exceeded 2020 participation, producing a geographically uneven turnout picture [6] [7].
4. Demographics and method caveats to keep in mind
Different datasets also spotlight different demographic patterns: the CPS shows older, more educated, and wealthier citizens turned out at higher rates, producing overall CPS turnout of 65.3% [2]; non‑survey voter‑file analyses note a decline concentrated outside competitive states [6]; youth turnout estimates vary — CIRCLE reports roughly 47% for 18–29‑year‑olds — and PRRI’s post‑election survey finds only 59% of registered voters reporting they voted, underscoring survey‑versus‑administrative‑record differences [8] [9] [10]. These methodological distinctions (survey validation, administrative vote counts, who is excluded from denominators) create the small but consequential gaps between headline numbers [2] [1].
5. Alternative interpretations and potential informational agendas
Some outlets emphasize the slight drop from 2020 (66% to ~64%) to argue waning engagement, while others highlight 2024’s place among the highest turnouts since the 1960s or 1980s to stress continued civic engagement; both narratives derive from the same data but foreground different denominators and contexts — a reminder that framing matters and that organizations may prefer the metric that best supports their argument [5] [3] [6]. Private analysts and partisan actors sometimes cite whichever measure most favors their claims about mobilization or apathy; readers should therefore note whether a story references VEP, VAP, or registered‑voter rates [1] [9].
6. Bottom line
The most defensible, widely cited summary: about 64% of the voting‑eligible population voted in 2024 (Election Lab/Pew/Ballotpedia cluster around 63.7–64%), while the Census Bureau’s CPS — using a slightly different base — reports 65.3% of the voting‑age population voted [1] [3] [5] [2]. Any precise headline should name the denominator used: VEP ≈ 64% vs. VAP ≈ 65.3% [1] [2].