Civic participation is a key ingredient of a well-functioning democracy, and voter turnout is one measure of the public’s trust in government. Unfortunately, there’s evidence to suggest a growing lack of political engagement among Americans.
Presidential elections tend to get citizens more energized than midterms. In 2020, a record 155 million Americans voted. Unfortunately, that number still only accounts for 66.8% of the voting-age population. The numbers are much worse for midterms. In 2018, for instance, the U.S. saw the highest turnout in decades, but still only 53.4% of all eligible voters voted. It remains to be seen whether that disappointing statistic will continue for the 2022 midterms or if voters will turn out in larger numbers.
Among developed nations, the U.S. is rank 30 of 35 when it comes to voter turnout. That’s no surprise, considering many states don’t emphasize civic education in their schools. Large proportions of the public fail even simple knowledge tests such as knowing whether one’s state requires identification in order to vote.
But of the factors that affect participation rates, income is an important one, with implications on both voter turnout and public policy. In the 2020 election, only 47.1% of registered voters with family incomes of under $10,000 voted. In comparison, 84.8% of those with family incomes of $150,000 or more voted.
With Election Day close at hand, WalletHub compared the 50 states based on 10 key indicators of political engagement. They range from the percentage of registered voters in the 2020 presidential election to total political contributions per adult population.
Main Findings
Most Politically Engaged States
|
Overall Rank |
State |
Total Score |
|
Overall Rank |
State |
Total Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland | 71.85 | Info | 26 | Tennessee | 48.14 |
| 2 | New Jersey | 71.80 | Info | 27 | Wyoming | 47.85 |
| 3 | Virginia | 69.41 | Info | 28 | Rhode Island | 47.69 |
| 4 | Washington | 68.82 | Info | 29 | Michigan | 47.37 |
| 5 | Oregon | 68.43 | Info | 30 | Utah | 46.93 |
| 6 | Minnesota | 63.08 | Info | 31 | Florida | 46.46 |
| 7 | California | 59.79 | Info | 32 | Texas | 43.99 |
| 8 | Arizona | 59.33 | Info | 33 | Kentucky | 43.98 |
| 9 | New York | 57.24 | Info | 34 | Missouri | 43.90 |
| 10 | Iowa | 56.26 | Info | 35 | North Dakota | 43.83 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | 56.10 | Info | 36 | Kansas | 43.61 |
| 12 | Montana | 55.55 | Info | 37 | North Carolina | 43.44 |
| 13 | Hawaii | 55.33 | Info | 38 | Nevada | 43.29 |
| 14 | Wisconsin | 53.33 | Info | 39 | New Mexico | 41.67 |
| 15 | Colorado | 53.04 | Info | 40 | Mississippi | 39.03 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | 52.51 | Info | 41 | Idaho | 37.65 |
| 17 | Delaware | 52.21 | Info | 42 | Louisiana | 36.97 |
| 18 | Maine | 52.12 | Info | 43 | Indiana | 33.75 |
| 19 | Illinois | 50.77 | Info | 44 | Oklahoma | 31.86 |
| 20 | Alaska | 50.20 | Info | 45 | South Carolina | 31.55 |
| 21 | Vermont | 49.78 | Info | 46 | Nebraska | 31.10 |
| 22 | Connecticut | 49.14 | Info | 47 | South Dakota | 30.76 |
| 23 | Ohio | 49.04 | Info | 48 | Alabama | 30.23 |
| 24 | Pennsylvania | 48.71 | Info | 49 | West Virginia | 27.34 |
| 25 | Georgia | 48.24 | Info | 50 | Arkansas | 15.55 |
- Highest
- 1. New Jersey
- 2. Minnesota
- 3. Mississippi
- 4. Oregon
- 5. Maryland
- Lowest
- T-46. Oklahoma
- T-46. West Virginia
- 48. Florida
- 49. Nevada
- 50. Arkansas
- Highest
- 1. Maine
- 2. Wisconsin
- 3. Montana
- 4. Minnesota
- T-5. North Dakota
- T-5. Washington
- Lowest
- 46. New Mexico
- 47. Idaho
- 48. West Virginia
- 49. Hawaii
- 50. Arkansas
- Highest
- 1. New Jersey
- 2. Minnesota
- 3. Oregon
- 4. New Hampshire
- T-5. Maryland
- T-5. Wisconsin
- Lowest
- 46. Alabama
- 47. South Dakota
- 48. Oklahoma
- 49. West Virginia
- 50. Arkansas
- Biggest
- 1. Hawaii
- 2. New Jersey
- 3. Tennessee
- 4. Kentucky
- 5. Arizona
- Smallest
- 46. Maine
- 47. Nebraska
- 48. Colorado
- 49. North Carolina
- 50. Arkansas
- Highest
- 1. Wyoming
- 2. Virginia
- 3. Massachusetts
- 4. Connecticut
- 5. New York
- Lowest
- 46. Maine
- 47. Kentucky
- 48. Hawaii
- 49. Mississippi
- 50. West Virginia
Correlation Analysis
Education Ranking
GDP per Capita Ranking
Tax Fairness Ranking
Blue vs. Red States
% of Citizen Voters by Age Group
|
State |
Political Engagement Among Young People (Aged 18 to 24) (Rank) |
Political Engagement Among the Elderly (Aged 65+) (Rank) |
|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 70.70% (2) | 76.40% (16) |
| New Jersey | 75.30% (1) | 82.60% (3) |
| Virginia | 51.80% (26) | 76.20% (18) |
| Washington | 52.40% (23) | 77.30% (13) |
| Oregon | 56.10% (9) | 79.50% (9) |
| Minnesota | 69.20% (3) | 84.30% (1) |
| California | 53.60% (15) | 71.40% (41) |
| Arizona | 52.00% (24) | 81.80% (5) |
| New York | 47.80% (32) | 67.90% (47) |
| Iowa | 63.30% (4) | 76.80% (14) |
| New Hampshire | 62.30% (6) | 84.20% (2) |
| Montana | 57.60% (8) | 80.00% (7) |
| Hawaii | 44.40% (36) | 66.60% (48) |
| Wisconsin | 56.00% (10) | 82.40% (4) |
| Colorado | 53.30% (19) | 74.70% (31) |
| Massachusetts | 55.20% (12) | 75.80% (22) |
| Delaware | 53.60% (15) | 77.80% (10) |
| Maine | 63.10% (5) | 75.70% (23) |
| Illinois | 55.00% (13) | 75.20% (26) |
| Alaska | N/A (N/A) | 73.60% (35) |
| Vermont | N/A (N/A) | 79.60% (8) |
| Connecticut | 51.90% (25) | 74.70% (31) |
| Ohio | 53.00% (20) | 81.30% (6) |
| Pennsylvania | 51.00% (28) | 75.40% (25) |
| Georgia | 52.90% (21) | 71.40% (41) |
| Tennessee | 49.10% (31) | 72.20% (38) |
| Wyoming | N/A (N/A) | 76.60% (15) |
| Rhode Island | 51.60% (27) | 76.10% (19) |
| Michigan | 52.90% (21) | 75.00% (29) |
| Utah | 50.10% (29) | 75.60% (24) |
| Florida | 46.60% (34) | 72.10% (39) |
| Texas | 43.30% (38) | 76.30% (17) |
| Kentucky | 59.30% (7) | 74.40% (33) |
| Missouri | 55.50% (11) | 77.40% (12) |
| North Dakota | N/A (N/A) | 74.20% (34) |
| Kansas | 53.40% (17) | 77.50% (11) |
| North Carolina | 49.30% (30) | 71.90% (40) |
| Nevada | 36.70% (43) | 76.00% (20) |
| New Mexico | 42.90% (39) | 74.90% (30) |
| Mississippi | 42.30% (40) | 75.20% (26) |
| Idaho | 53.90% (14) | 73.40% (36) |
| Louisiana | 46.90% (33) | 70.40% (43) |
| Indiana | 38.80% (42) | 75.10% (28) |
| Oklahoma | 30.50% (46) | 70.30% (44) |
| South Carolina | 53.40% (17) | 72.40% (37) |
| Nebraska | 42.30% (40) | 76.00% (20) |
| South Dakota | 43.90% (37) | 69.50% (45) |
| Alabama | 45.40% (35) | 64.80% (49) |
| West Virginia | 34.60% (44) | 68.00% (46) |
| Arkansas | 32.30% (45) | 63.20% (50) |
Notes: For the states with N/A, the base was less than 75,000 and therefore too small to show the derived measure.
The columns in the table above depict the politically engaged share of the population by age group, as well as the relative rank of each state, where a rank of 1 represents the highest engagement for each age group.
Ask the Experts
Given the eroding political engagement in the U.S., we asked a panel of experts to share their insight on the voter-turnout disparities among states and advice for local governments on improving civic participation. Click on the experts’ profiles to read their bios and responses to the following key questions:
- Which states do you think will have a particularly high turnout this election year?
- Why are some states more politically engaged than others?
- What are effective local strategies for increasing political engagement?
- Do Super PACs (Political Action Committees) add value to the political process? Should they be more heavily regulated?
- Should personal contributions to campaigns be tax-deductible?
Ask the Experts
Ph.D. – Professor of Politics – Washington and Lee University
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Ph.D. – Professor, Political Science, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences – University of Illinois at Chicago
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Ph.D. – Professor, Department of Political Science – North Carolina State University
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Ph.D. – Professor of Political Science – California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
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Professor and Director of the Security and Resilience Studies Program – Northeastern University
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Professor of Political Science – Eckerd College
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Methodology
In order to determine the most and least politically engaged states, WalletHub compared the 50 states across ten key metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with 100 representing the most political engagement.
For metrics marked with an asterisk (*), we calculated the population size using the square root of the population in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across states.
Finally, we determined each state and the District’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.
- Percentage of Registered Voters in the 2020 Presidential Election: Full Weight (~9.09 Points)
- Percentage of Electorate Who Actually Voted in the 2018 Midterm Elections: Full Weight (~9.09 Points)
- Percentage of Electorate Who Actually Voted in the 2020 Presidential Election: Double Weight (~18.18 Points)
- Change in Percentage of Electorate Who Actually Voted in the 2020 Elections Compared with the 2016 Elections: Double Weight (~18.18 Points)
- Total Political Contributions per Adult Population: Double Weight (~18.18 Points)
- Civic Education Engagement: Half Weight (~4.55 Points)
- Voter Accessibility Policies: Half Weight (~4.55 Points)
- Preregistration for Young Voters Policies: Full Weight (~9.09 Points)
- Volunteer Political Campaign Opportunities per Capita*: Half Weight (~4.55 Points)
- Percentage of Residents Who Participate in Civic Groups or Organizations: Half Weight (~4.55 Points)
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Center for Responsive Politics, OpenSecrets, Ballotpedia, AmeriCorps, National Conference of State Legislatures, The Thomas B. Fordham Institute and Indeed.