Brandon Cousins plays with his daughter Isabelle, 3, as he and his wife wait in line to vote in Cranberry, Pa., on Nov. 3, 2020. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)
Turnout in the 2020 election surged to the highest level of any election in 120 years. Recently released census data shows just how broad the surge in turnout was across demographics: The new data confirms an uptick in voting rates among Americans young and old, male and female and of different racial backgrounds and education levels.
Unlike exit polls, which are limited to voters, the census survey interviews both voters and nonvoters, providing a clear look at what percentage of different groups turned out to vote and how that compared with previous elections.
Overall, vote tallies show 66.8 percent of eligible voters cast ballots in 2020, up from 60.1 percent in 2016 and the highest turnout rate since 1900. The turnout boost was especially large among groups who have historically voted at lower rates. That suggests the 2020 election not only inspired high turnout overall, but also drew broader participation than previous elections.
Below are some highlights from The Washington Post’s analysis of census survey data (survey details below).
1. A big breakthrough in youth turnout
Turnout by age since 2000
78%
+6
75%
65+ years old
+6
72%
68%
69%
+5
50-64
63%
63%
Overall turnout
60%
40-49
+7
56%
53%
+9
30-39
44%
40%
18-29
20%
2004
2008
2012
2016
2000
2020
THE WASHINGTON POST
78%
65+ years old
+6
75%
50-64
72%
+6
68%
69%
40-49
+5
63%
63%
30-39
Overall turnout
60%
+7
56%
53%
18-29
+9
44%
40%
20%
2004
2008
2012
2016
2000
2020
THE WASHINGTON POST
65+ years old
78%
+6
50-64
75%
+6
72%
69%
40-49
68%
+5
30-39
63%
63%
Overall turnout
60%
+7
56%
18-29
53%
+9
44%
40%
20%
2004
2008
2012
2016
2000
2020
THE WASHINGTON POST
For the first time, most Americans under age 30 voted.
After decades of efforts to get young Americans to vote, usually followed by lackluster turnout, they broke new ground in 2020, with 53 percent of 18-to-29-year-olds casting ballots, the first time turnout reached a majority in census surveys dating to 1988. Youth turnout rose nine percentage points from 2016 (when it was 44 percent) and eclipsed the previous high of 49 percent in 2008, when enthusiasm for Barack Obama fueled a surge in young voter turnout. That’s a continuation from 2018, when surging youth turnout helped fuel century-high turnout in a midterm election.
Younger voters still have a long way to go to catch their elders, who also turned out at the highest rate in any recent election. Compared with 2016, turnout grew by between five and seven points among Americans in their 30s, 40s, ages 50-64 and among those 65 and older. And the overall turnout rate rose with each age group, peaking at 78 percent turnout among seniors.
2. Turnout among Asian Americans jumped the most
Turnout by race and ethnicity since 2000
73%
+8
66%
+5
65%
62%
White
61%
60%
Overall turnout
+14
53%
Black
+7
49%
48%
46%
+3
Asian
American Indian
American Indian
40%
Hispanic
20%
2004
2008
2012
2016
2000
2020
Other/Multiple race not shown; Hispanic citizens not included in other racial groups.
THE WASHINGTON POST
73%
White
+8
66%
Black
+5
65%
62%
Asian
61%
60%
Overall turnout
+14
Hispanic
53%
+7
49%
American Indian
48%
+3
46%
40%
20%
2004
2008
2012
2016
2000
2020
Other/Multiple race not shown; Hispanic citizens not included in other racial groups.
THE WASHINGTON POST
White
73%
+8
Black
66%
+5
65%
Asian
62%
61%
60%
Overall turnout
+14
Hispanic
53%
+7
American Indian
49%
48%
+3
46%
40%
20%
2004
2008
2012
2016
2000
2020
Other/Multiple race not shown; Hispanic citizens not included in other racial groups.
THE WASHINGTON POST
Turnout rose among all racial and ethnic groups in 2020, although Asian Americans saw the largest increase, from 48 percent turnout in 2016 to 62 percent in 2020. The rise is extraordinary given that Asian turnout had consistently trailed the national average in presidential elections, ranging from 41 percent to 48 percent since the 2000 election.
[Record Asian American turnout helped Biden win Georgia]
Hispanic turnout also reached a majority for the first time, with 53 percent voting in the 2020 election, up seven points from 46 percent in 2016 and six points above the previous high of 47 percent in 2008.
White Americans turned out at the highest rate for any racial or ethnic group, with 73 percent casting ballots in 2020, up from 65 percent in 2016 to the highest level in census surveys since 1988. However, White voters continued to decline as a share of the electorate, in line with generational demographic changes: They made up 71 percent of all voters in 2020, down from 74 percent in 2016 and from 81 percent in 2000.
3. Where high Black turnout had the biggest impact
Turnout among Black voters grew to 66 percent in 2020, up from 61 percent in 2016, albeit slightly lower than 2008 and 2012 when Obama was on the ballot. Last year, Black turnout reached 70 percent across eight competitive states where the presidential election was decided by fewer than five percentage points, up from 63 percent in 2016.
Michael Scott waits in line to vote at North Carolina Central University on the first day of early voting in Durham, N.C., on Oct. 15, 2020. (Cornell Watson for The Washington Post)
Rising turnout among Black voters had the clearest impact in Georgia. The State Election Board provides more precise data on Black turnout than the census, reporting that 60 percent of Black registered voters cast ballots in 2020, up from 56 percent in 2016. The net increase of more than 221,000 Black votes was much larger than Joe Biden’s 11,779 winning margin and was likely decisive given that exit polls find Biden won Black voters by an 88 percent to 11 percent margin over Donald Trump.
4. Those with ‘some college’ did a lot more voting
Turnout by educational groups since 2000
90%
+5
Postgraduate degree
85%
84%
+6
80%
78%
Bachelor’s degree
72%
+9
Some college
63%
60%
Overall turnout
54%
+4
High school grad
50%
40%
36%
Less than high school
+5
31%
20%
2004
2008
2012
2016
2000
2020
THE WASHINGTON POST
Postgraduate degree
90%
+5
85%
84%
Bachelor’s degree
+6
80%
78%
72%
Some college
+9
63%
60%
Overall turnout
54%
High school grad
+4
50%
40%
36%
Less than high school
+5
31%
20%
2004
2008
2012
2016
2000
2020
THE WASHINGTON POST
Postgraduate degree
90%
+5
85%
84%
Bachelor’s degree
+6
80%
78%
Some college
72%
+9
63%
Overall turnout
60%
High school grad
54%
+4
50%
40%
Less than high school
36%
+5
31%
20%
2004
2008
2012
2016
2000
2020
THE WASHINGTON POST
Education is a core dividing line in political participation, but in 2020, Americans of all levels of formal education voted at much higher rates than four years earlier. The biggest shift came among those in the middle of the educational spectrum with some college education or an associate’s degree, but not a bachelor’s degree. Turnout rose from 63 percent to 72 percent among this group from 2016 to 2020.
Turnout grew to 90 percent among postgraduates and to 84 percent among those with a bachelor’s degree, also highs since 2000. And while turnout was lower among adults with a high school diploma (54 percent) or less (36 percent), turnout was up by four to five points among both groups from 2016.
5. Men and women voted more, but the gender gap persisted
Turnout by gender since 2000
70%
+6
66%
Female
64%
+7
60%
59%
Overall turnout
Male
40%
20%
2004
2008
2012
2016
2000
2020
THE WASHINGTON POST
Female
70%
+6
Male
66%
64%
+7
60%
59%
Overall turnout
40%
20%
2004
2008
2012
2016
2000
2020
THE WASHINGTON POST
Female
70%
+6
Male
66%
64%
+7
60%
59%
Overall turnout
40%
20%
2004
2008
2012
2016
2000
2020
THE WASHINGTON POST
Turnout increased by seven percentage points among men and six points among women from 2016 to 2020. Women maintained their long-term advantage in overall turnout rate, with 70 percent casting ballots compared with 66 percent of men. The gender gap was slightly larger in the eight most competitive states in the presidential election, where 74 percent of women voted, compared with 68 percent of men.
What drove extraordinary turnout in 2020, and will it continue?
The broad surge in voter participation in 2020 — despite risks from the coronavirus pandemic — likely reflects the extraordinary stakes Americans saw in the presidential election and polarized views of Trump that was evident in pre-election polls.
A Pew Research Center poll last summer found a record high 83 percent of registered voters said it “really matters who wins the presidential election.” A September Washington Post-ABC News poll found more than 6 in 10 registered voters saying a Trump or Biden victory would represent “a crisis for the country.” Turnout in future elections will likely depend on whether Americans believe the stakes are as high as people saw them 2020.
Tonza Thomas decorates her car before canvassing in neighborhoods across Columbus, Ga., on Nov. 2, 2020. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post)
The ways Americans voted also changed in 2020, with most Americans casting ballots before Election Day for the first time, after many states expanded the availability of mail-in voting in response to the coronavirus. Turnout in future elections could depend on how much states continue to offer such options for voters to cast early ballots. Georgia, Florida and Texas have passed laws restricting mail-in voting, moves that follow Trump’s baseless claims of voter fraud.
And while 2020 marks a year of epic participation, roughly 1 in 3 eligible voters still did not cast ballots, meaning turnout still has room to grow.
About this story
This story is based on a Washington Post analysis of 2000-2020 data from the Current Population Survey Voting and Registration Supplement, which is conducted after each even-year election by the Census Bureau. Because the survey significantly overestimates turnout rates, the data were adjusted to match state-level turnout levels among the voting-eligible population according to estimates by the United States Elections Project using a method proposed by Aram Hur and Christopher H. Achen.
Emily Guskin and Ted Mellnik contributed to this report.
