Young Voters Get the Attention, but Older Americans Cast the Ballots
Political campaigns devote considerable attention to winning voters ages 18–34, but Census Bureau data show that registration does not necessarily translate into ballots. Across the 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024 elections, young adults consistently registered and voted at lower rates than Americans ages 35–64 and those 65 and older. The difference was particularly pronounced during midterm elections.
Nationally, approximately 64.2% of citizens ages 18–34 reported being registered in 2024, while 53.1% said they voted. Among those ages 35–64, registration reached 75.8% and turnout was 67.8%. Americans 65 and older led every group: 80.3% were registered and 74.7% voted.
The raw numbers provide an equally revealing comparison. About 35.3 million Americans ages 18–34 voted in 2024, compared with 75.7 million voters ages 35–64 and 43.3 million voters 65 and older. The oldest group produced roughly eight million more voters than the youngest group despite having a smaller citizen population.
California followed the same general pattern. In 2024, turnout was approximately 55.9% among citizens ages 18–34, 66.1% among those 35–64 and 73.2% among those 65 and older. That translated into approximately 4.2 million young voters, 8 million voters ages 35–64 and another 4.2 million voters 65 and older.
Presidential elections predictably attracted substantially more participation than midterms, especially among younger voters. National turnout among people ages 18–34 fell from 56.7% in 2020 to just 34.7% in the 2022 midterm before recovering to 53.1% in 2024. The numbers help explain why campaigns talk so much about mobilizing young adults—but they also show why older, more dependable voters continue to exercise disproportionate influence over election outcomes.
The figures are survey estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey Voting and Registration Supplement. Registration and turnout percentages are measured against the citizen population in each age group.
AI contributed to the preparation of this report.
