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[SecretMoblin]

Small amounts of votes are trickling in for a few states, but for the most part the numbers are pretty set in stone for voter turnout in the 2016 general. Minnesota is on top for a 10th straight GE, despite being 6th in the nation for the 2014 midterms. Hawaii is again the lowest.

Dr. Michael McDonald is widely regarded as a primary authority on turnout in the U.S.; he is also known for his academic work on redistricting and enfranchisement. His website, The United States Elections Project, is a great, continuously updated resource for voting information.

Graphic credit MN SoS, I ordered the list based on the more current USEP data:

1. Minnesota - 74.7%
2. Maine - 72.9%
3. New Hampshire - 72.6%
4. Colorado - 71.9%
5. Wisconsin* - 69.3%
6. Iowa - 68.8%
7. Oregon - 68.4%
8. Massachusetts - 67.9%
9. Maryland* - 66.2%
10. Virginia* - 65.7%
11. Washington - 65.6%
12. Florida - 65.6%
13. Michigan 65.6%
14. North Carolina 65.2%
15. Connecticut - 65.2%
16. New Jersey - 64.6%
17. Vermont - 64.6%
18. Montana - 64.3%
19. Ohio - 64.1%
20. Delaware* - 63.7%
21. Nebraska - 63.6%
22. Illinois - 63.1%
23. Pennsylvania* - 62.8%
24. Missouri* - 62.1%
25. Alaska - 61.8%
26. Idaho - 61.2%
27. D.C. - 60.5%
28. North Dakota - 60.1%
29. Wyoming - 60%
30. Georgia - 59.9%
31. Louisiana* - 59.8%
32. Rhode Island - 59%
33. Alabama* - 58.9%
34. Kentucky* - 58.7%
35. South Dakota* - 58.5%
36. Utah - 57.8%
37. California - 57.8%
38. Indiana - 57.8%
39. South Carolina - 57.3%
40. Kansas* - 57.3%
41. Nevada - 57.1%
42. New York - 56.2%
43. Arizona - 56.2%
44. Mississippi* - 55.5%
45. New Mexico - 55.1%
46. Arkansas - 53 %
47. Oklahoma* - 52%
48. Tennessee* - 51.2%
49. Texas - 51.2%
50. West Virginia* - 49.9%
51. Hawaii - 42.5%

Link to information page

*Most state rates are calculated by total ballots cast per voting-eligible population, but states with an asterisk don't have "total ballots cast" data available so the metric of votes cast for the highest office, in all cases President, is used.


Turnout per state looks broadly similar to 2012's GE, which isn't a surprise:

Having worked in politics in MN I'm never surprised at the turnout rates here. Activism (especially local) has a long history in the state and we generally make it very easy to register and cast a ballot through initiatives like same-day and online registration. This MinnPost article is an interesting read if you want to know more about possible explanations for continuously high turnout. The most common explanations I usually see for Hawaii's traditionally terrible turnout rates are a lack of competitive races, a messy voter registration system, and a sense that D.C. has relatively little impact on the islands.

 

[disappeared]

So it looks like the northern half of the country tends to vote more? I'm from Canada so just curious.

 

[Regulus Tera]

Texas at number 49? Lol

 

[Media]

I don't understand how Oregon isn't higher given how easy as fuck it is to vote there.

 

[Kusagari]

Seeing FL in the top 12 and then NY, CA, and TX so low really shows how many people aren't turning out because of the perceived inevitability of their state voting a certain way.

 

[HK-47]

Seeing FL in the top 12 and then NY, CA, and TX so low really shows how many people aren't turning out because of the perceived inevitability of their state voting a certain way.

Then why are places like NJ and MA so high?

 

[adj_noun]

11. Washington - 65.6%

This is pretty good, but we can do better. They send the ballot right to your house, people.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Minnesotans ya mo be there.

 

[Biske]

Fucking depressing.


But when people say they don't vote cause it won't matter, and then the person who lost the popular vote by millions of votes, goes on to be President, what can you really say to them?


When you live in a red state, where even this year, in Utah we had the best chance ever to flip it away from being a red state, it was still basically impossible, so telling people to "Get out and out" just comes off as silly, cause you all know your vote wont matter.





Every year voting for president feels stupid. Electoral College needs to go. I'm tired of my vote for president being a symbolic act.

 

[Joni]

But when people say they don't vote cause it won't matter, and then the person who lost the popular vote by millions of votes, goes on to be President, what can you really say to them?

That there are more elections and the good guys tend to lose them all.

 

[Biske]

Sure... and there are local elections.

But, again since I live in a pretty damn solid red state and haven't voted for a republican for president, my presidential vote has never actually mattered.

Would have been the exact same out come every time, every time, had I not voted at all.


And its not as if a president looks at Utah and is like "oh boy, look at the percentage my opponent got, have to work for those people.

Not its "hey went red? Ahah! fuck it!"


Fact is, our election system is bullshit and you can't blame people for not participating in it.

 

[cyress8]

This is pretty good, but we can do better. They send the ballot right to your house, people.

Serious? No excuse for anyone that did not vote then.

 

[ahoyhoy]

Texas at number 49? Lol

Really surprised by this.

Might be from King of the Hill, but I assumed Texans took more pride in voting.

 

[Azuran]

Really surprised by this.

Might be from King of the Hill, but I assumed Texans took more pride in voting.

What's the point of voting when everyone knows the result ahead of time?

 

[RockmanBN]

Like why bother voting Democrat in Nebrasja, it's a red state. They even brought back the death penalty in this election.

 

[adj_noun]

Serious? No excuse for anyone that did not vote then.

Yup. No lines, no waiting. You can either mail your completed ballot off or drop it in a public dropbox.

It's super easy to vote here. I'd like to think we should at least crack 70%.

 

[Squirrel Killer]

Seeing FL in the top 12 and then NY, CA, and TX so low really shows how many people aren't turning out because of the perceived inevitability of their state voting a certain way.

There are plenty of counter-examples: MN, WA, OR, IA on the known outcome/high turnout side and AZ, NM on the swing/low turnout side. Limiting turnout variances (whether due to registration laws, culture, weather, etc...) is actually a benefit of the Electoral College.

 

[pigeon]

In my view, the most important aspect of Hawaii's low turnout is actuallly just that they're six hours behind the East Coast. Generally by halfway through Hawaii's polling window people already have a pretty good idea how things are turning out, so why bother?

 

[RumblingRosco]

In my view, the most important aspect of Hawaii's low turnout is actuallly just that they're six hours behind the East Coast. Generally by halfway through Hawaii's polling window people already have a pretty good idea how things are turning out, so why bother?

Lived in Hawaii during the 2008 election. This was a very true sentiment.

 

[Atenhaus]

This is pretty good, but we can do better. They send the ballot right to your house, people.

I personally know 2-3 people who have inadvertently thrown their ballot away with their junk mail.

It's insane, really. We should have one of the highest voter turnout rates in the country.

 

[SoundsOfScience]

Lived in Hawaii during the 2008 election. This was a very true sentiment.

IIRC turnout was higher than usual for obvious reasons. Still not saying much considering we're always last place.

 

[Frozenprince]

Minnesotans ya mo be there.

Up and over

 

[Trouble]

You'd think WA, OR and CO would be top 3 with mail-only voting. It's sad that some people won't even fill out a ballot and drop it in the mail when some people wait hours to vote in other states.

 

[Linkura]

Minnesota also had to deal with that very close Senate race where Al Franken barely won. Showed them that every vote counts.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

This is pretty good, but we can do better. They send the ballot right to your house, people.

We always go for the Democrats, I'm not surprised even with permanent absentee ballot many people can't give a fuck.

 

[SenjutsuSage]

Way too low New York. Come on, we can do better than that.

 

[perfectchaos007]

What's the point of voting when everyone knows the result ahead of time?

Considering the GOP candidates margin of victory in Texas was in single digits this time, perhaps that will get more voters out to the polls next time. We're pretty close to becoming a swing state

 

[VendettaRed07]

I think West Virginia being so low is the most surprising thing. Figured it was Trump central and he'd drive turnout way up there, regardless of how safe it was.

I figured Texans would be massively turned off by this election.

 

[Shadynasty]

Awesome! My state made the top 50!

 

[OrangeGrayBlue]

I think West Virginia being so low is the most surprising thing. Figured it was Trump central and he'd drive turnout way up there, regardless of how safe it was.

I figured Texans would be massively turned off by this election.

Having been raised in West Virginia, it's a very red state (these days) but the overwhelming sentiment among West Virginians is that it doesn't matter who's in office because they'll be impoverished one way or the other. The state is 94% white and extremely poor. Neither party's messaging really resonates with them today, and I'd say they side with the GOP because it's the closest they can get to voting for no govt at all. The turnout is low because the population is largely hopeless.

 

[SecretMoblin]

Minnesota also had to deal with that very close Senate race where Al Franken barely won. Showed them that every vote counts.

Despite the reputation as a consistently Democratic state in presidential elections, Republicans are quite competitive at the statewide level. There are typically several tight races every election cycle and it definitely helps drive interest in the process.

MN is similar to much of the country in that socially conservative traditional Dem voters are gradually voting more and more for the GOP over time, a reality that flipped a number of states this cycle and made MN very close.

 

[MarioHead3]

My state continues to prove it's the best.

 

[Aaron Strife]

Like why bother voting Democrat in Nebrasja, it's a red state. They even brought back the death penalty in this election.

Nebraska splits its electoral votes by district. Them and Maine are the only states to do this.

In 2008 Obama won Nebraska's 2nd. This year Trump won Maine's 2nd.

 

[Iksenpets]

I think West Virginia being so low is the most surprising thing. Figured it was Trump central and he'd drive turnout way up there, regardless of how safe it was.

I figured Texans would be massively turned off by this election.

I don't think that number is particularly low for Texas. Our turnout has always been abysmal. If people in Texas turned out at that ~65% rate that so many other states hit, out politics would probably be very different, and we may have been spared President Trump...