Fact check: Does Texas have among the lowest voter turnouts in a national election?

1. Summary of the results

The evidence strongly supports the claim that Texas has among the lowest voter turnouts in national elections. Multiple sources confirm this pattern across different election cycles:

• In the 2022 general election, only 42% of eligible Texas voters cast a ballot, making Texas one of the worst states in the nation for voter participation ^[1]
• The 2024 presidential election showed continued low turnout despite record registration numbers, with 61% of registered voters casting ballots - representing a nearly 6 percentage-point drop compared to the 2020 presidential election ^[2]
• Urban counties were particularly affected, with major population centers like Bexar, Dallas, Harris, Tarrant, and Travis counties showing especially poor participation rates ^{[3] [4]}
• Local elections show even more dramatic patterns, with not one of the major Texas counties reaching 10% turnout of registered voters in the May 3, 2025 local election ^[4]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The analyses provide limited context about potential explanations for Texas's low voter turnout. Missing perspectives include:

• Comparative national data - While sources confirm Texas ranks among the worst states, specific rankings against other states are not provided
• Structural factors that might contribute to low turnout, such as voting access, registration requirements, or polling location availability
• Demographic breakdowns showing which populations are most affected by low turnout rates
• Historical trends beyond the 2020-2024 comparison to understand if this is a persistent or emerging pattern
• Policy interventions that have been attempted or proposed to address the turnout issue

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question appears factually accurate based on the available evidence. However, there are some considerations:

• The phrasing "among the lowest" is appropriately cautious rather than claiming Texas has the lowest turnout, which aligns with the evidence showing Texas as "one of the worst states" rather than definitively the worst ^[1]
• The question focuses specifically on "national elections," and the evidence supports this claim for both presidential ^[5] and general elections ^[6], though local election data shows even lower participation rates ^[4]
• No apparent bias or misinformation is present in the original statement - it accurately reflects the documented pattern of low voter participation in Texas compared to other states