U.S. Census Bureau issues report on voter turnout in 2022 election

Analysts at the U.S. Census Bureau report that native-born U.S. citizens are more likely to vote in elections than naturalized citizens. In 2022, for example, 53.4 percent of native-born citizens turned out to vote, compared to only 41.4 percent of naturalized citizens (Image courtesy of U.S. Census Bureau).

WASHINGTON, D.C. – With off-year municipal elections ahead in November, the U.S. Census Bureau has released its first deep dive report on voter turnout in the 2022 congressional elections.

More than half of the nation’s eligible voters turned out in 2022, the second highest turnout for a congressional election in two decades, according to Jacob Fabina, an economist in the Social, Economic and Housing Statistics Division of the Census Bureau.

That 52.2 percent voter turnout in 2022 was just 1.2 percent points lower than the 53.4 percent turnout in 2018. It was, however, significantly higher than the turnouts in 2014 (41.9 percent) and 2010 (45.5 percent).

Despite the lower turnout than 2018, Census analysts still reported that the share of voting-age citizens who registered to vote in 2022 was nearly 70 percent, the highest registration rate for a midterm election since 2002.

Here in Utah, the state’s voting statistics for 2022 exceeded the national average.

Nearly half of Utah’s population registered to vote in 2022, more than 1.6 million people. Of that number, more than 64 percent actually cast their ballots (about 1.08 Million).

Voter turnout in Cache Valley was only slightly less at 63.3 percent, with 42,433 ballot cast from more than 67,000 registered voters.

Local election officials suggest that the near-record turnout for a midterm election in 2022 was due in part to the red hot race for the U.S. Senate between Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Independent challenger Evan McMullin.

Census officials also warn that comparisons between 2022 election results and the previous election are largely invalid because of the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the president election of 2020.

In that 2020 election, for example, nearly 59,000 ballots were cast by more than 63,000 registered voters in Cache County, for a 92 percent voter turnout.

The share of voters who voted early, by mail or a combination of both in 2022 remained high for a midterm election.

Of those who voted in 2022, Fabina said, nearly 50 percent used those alternative voting methods. That 2022 record was 10 percentage points higher than in 2018 and 18 percentage points higher than in 2014.

Among those who were registered but did not vote in 2022 elections, the most common answer given by 27 percent of eligible voters was “too busy or conflicting work or school schedule,” followed by “not interested in politics” (17 percent), “illness or disabled” (12 percent), “out of town” (9 percent) and “forgot to vote” (8 percent).

Census analysts also say that, in general, homeowners were more likely to vote than renters; married couples were more likely to vote than singles; and veterans were more likely to voter than non-veterans.

This Census research is based on data collected by the Voting and Registration Supplement of its annual Current Population Survey.

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