National Voter Turnout in Federal Elections: 1960–2008

This page provides information about voter statistics, including age of voting population,
voter registration, turnout, and more.

NOTE: 1968 Voter age lowered to 18

Voting-age Voter Turnout of voting-age

Year population registration Voter turnout population (percent)
2008* 231,229,580 NA 132,618,580* 56.8%
2006 220,600,000 135,889,600 80,588,000 37.1%
2004 221,256,931 174,800,000 122,294,978 55.3
2002 215,473,000 150,990,598 79,830,119 37.0
2000 205,815,000 156,421,311 105,586,274 51.3
1998 200,929,000 141,850,558 73,117,022 36.4
1996 196,511,000 146,211,960 96,456,345 49.1
1994 193,650,000 130,292,822 75,105,860 38.8
1992 189,529,000 133,821,178 104,405,155 55.1
1990 185,812,000 121,105,630 67,859,189 36.5
1988 182,778,000 126,379,628 91,594,693 50.1
1986 178,566,000 118,399,984 64,991,128 36.4
1984 174,466,000 124,150,614 92,652,680 53.1
1982 169,938,000 110,671,225 67,615,576 39.8
1980 164,597,000 113,043,734 86,515,221 52.6
1978 158,373,000 103,291,265 58,917,938 37.2
1976 152,309,190 105,037,986 81,555,789 53.6
1974 146,336,000 96,199,0201 55,943,834 38.2
1972 140,776,000 97,328,541 77,718,554 55.2
1970 124,498,000 82,496,7472 58,014,338 46.6
1968 120,328,186 81,658,180 73,211,875 ↑ 60.8 (3)
1966 116,132,000 76,288,2833 56,188,046 48.4
1964 114,090,000 73,715,818 70,644,592 ↑ 61.9 (2)
1962 112,423,000 65,393,7514 53,141,227 47.3
1960 109,159,000 64,833,0965 68,838,204 ↑ 63.1 (1)

Electoral ballots

Office of President of the United States, Barack Obama / Joseph Biden —365

John McCain / Sarah Palin –173

Posted On: http://clerk.house.gov/floorsummary/floor.html?day=20090108

Presidential candidate / Party / Home State / Popular Vote
/ Electoral Vote

Barack Obama Democratic Illinois 69,456,897 52.92%

John McCain Republican Arizona 59,934,814 45.66%

Barack Obama: Facts and Figures

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Obama is the first president to be born outside the continental
United States. He is also the third president from Illinois, the first two being Abraham
Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant.[109] (Ronald Reagan was born in Illinois, but when elected had
been in California for decades, where he was a former governor). Obama, having a white
mother and Kenyan father of the Luo ethnic group,[110] became the first African American
and the first bi-racial president.

Obama's raw popular vote margin of victory (approximately 9.5 million votes) was the
largest ever for a non-incumbent presidential candidate, and the sixth largest margin of
victory ever. Obama's popular vote percentage (52.9%) is also the highest for a Democratic
presidential candidate since Lyndon Johnson in 1964 and the highest overall since George H.
W. Bush was elected president in 1988. He also received more votes than any presidential
candidate in American history, breaking the previous record of just over 62 million, held
by President George W. Bush after his successful reelection bid in 2004.

Votes by Age, Sex and Race

It was observed that this election exhibited the continuation of some of the polarization
trends evident in the 2000 and 2004 elections.[114] McCain won whites by 12 points, while
Obama won blacks by 91 points, Hispanics by 36 points, and Asians by 27 points. Voters 18-
29 voted for Obama by 66%-32% while elderly voters backed McCain 53%-45%.[115]
However, from 2004, Obama improved on John Kerry's support among all race and age
groups.

131.2 Million Voters (122.3 m. in 2004) Highest since 1968

The voter turnout for this election was broadly predicted to be very high by American
standards,[96] and a record number of votes were cast. The final tally of total votes counted
was 131.2 million, compared to 122.3 million in 2004 (which also boasted the highest
record since 1968, after which the voting age was lowered to 18).