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What percentage of registered voters voted in 2024 elections in San Diego CA
Executive summary
San Diego County had about 1,983,767 registered voters for the November 5, 2024 general election, and county estimates put turnout at roughly 76%—down from about 84% in 2020—meaning roughly three-quarters of registered voters cast ballots in 2024 [1] [2]. Statewide county turnout tables from the California Secretary of State also provide official county-by-county participation statistics for the November 5, 2024 general election [3] [2].
1. What the headline number means: “76%” of registered voters cast ballots
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the Registrar of Voters’ estimate for the Nov. 5, 2024 general election turnout was about 76% of registered voters, based on the county’s registration rolls and ballots counted at the time of reporting; that 76% figure comes from the county’s estimates of ballots cast vs. the nearly 1.984 million registered voters [4] [5] [6] cited in the same analysis [1]. The Secretary of State’s official packet of voter participation statistics for the November 5, 2024 general election contains the underlying county-level tables and the formal turnout figures used to calculate percentages [2] [3].
2. How that compares to recent presidential years: notable decline from 2020
Local coverage emphasized that San Diego’s turnout in 2024 was meaningfully lower than four years earlier: 76% in 2024 versus about 84% in 2020 (a roughly eight-point drop cited in local reporting), and the paper notes 82% turnout in 2016 for additional context [1]. NBC San Diego likewise reported turnout tracking “some 10% lower than it was in 2020” during the final-count period, underscoring agreement among local outlets that turnout declined from the 2020 presidential high-water mark [7].
3. Sources and how they produce the figure: county estimates vs. state tables
The 76% figure appears in San Diego Union-Tribune coverage summarizing Registrar of Voters estimates and is traceable to the California Secretary of State’s voter participation statistics document for the Nov. 5, 2024 election, which publishes registered voter totals and ballots cast by county [1] [2] [3]. The county’s own Registrar pages and live turnout tools exist for granular vote-tracking (sdvote.com and livevoterturnout), but the statewide PDF from the Secretary of State is the consolidated official tabulation referenced by reporters [8] [9] [2].
4. Why turnout matters here: political effects and demographic shifts
Local analysis linked the lower turnout to political consequences in San Diego: reporting noted Democrats lost more voters proportionally in 2024, contributing to shifts in vote shares in some neighborhoods and counties—coverage points to lower turnout harming Democratic performance in certain heavily Latino areas, and to geographic shifts that helped Republicans in places like Imperial and parts of San Diego [10] [1]. Axios and other local outlets used turnout patterns to explain how vote-share changes played out across communities [10] [1].
5. Caveats and limits in the available reporting
Reporting makes clear that final tallies and official certified turnout can shift modestly as late-counted ballots are added; NBC San Diego noted turnout numbers would increase as final votes were tallied [7]. The Secretary of State PDFs are the formal source for county turnout statistics, but the Union-Tribune’s 76% figure is described as “based on Registrar of Voters estimates” rather than a final, certified post-canvass summary in the story [1] [2]. Available sources do not mention a final certified percentage beyond those estimates in the articles provided.
6. Where to find the official, detailed numbers if you want to verify
For official, downloadable county-by-county turnout tables, consult the California Secretary of State’s “Voter Participation Statistics by County” page and the specific November 5, 2024 PDF of voter participation statistics [3] [2]. San Diego County’s Registrar of Voters pages and the county’s live turnout portal offer local vote-count tracking and archived “past election” turnout data [8] [9] [11].
Conclusion — what readers should take away: multiple reputable local and state sources converge on a ballpark turnout of roughly three-quarters of registered voters in San Diego for the November 5, 2024 election (about 76%), materially lower than 2020’s roughly mid-80s turnout; for the final certified figure, consult the Secretary of State’s county participation PDF and the Registrar’s post-canvass reports [1] [2] [3].