CIRCLE (The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement)
conducts research on the civic and political engagement of young Americans.
The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement

Official Youth Turnout Rate in 2010 was 24%

April 15th, 2011
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New Census Data Confirm African American and Asian Youth Increased Their Turnout Rates in 2010 Midterms
Youth Turnout Overall Similar to Past Midterm Election
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Interviews with Experts Available; Contact Sarah Shugars at 617-627-2029 or Sarah.Shugars@tufts.edu

Tisch College, Medford/Somerville, Mass. — An estimated 24% of young people (ages 18-29) voted in the 2010 midterm elections, according to newly released Census data analyzed by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at the Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service at Tufts University.  While turnout declined slightly between 2006 and 2010, youth turnout remained similar to past midterm elections and tracks a similar decline in adult turnout.

voting rate in midterm elections

In 2010, as in 2008, young African Americans led the way in youth voter turnout.  Young African Americans voted at a rate of 27.5% compared to 24.9% of young Whites, 17.6% of young Latinos and 17.7% of young Asian Americans.   Turnout among White youth declined more than that of any other race/ethnicity between 2006 and 2010.

“Youth turnout has stayed between 22% and 25% in all midterm elections since 1998, compared to an average of 30% in the 1970s and 1980s. We have to find a way to raise it,” said CIRCLE director Peter Levine.

The report also found a closing gender gap in turnout.  Turnout among young females declined between 2006 and 2010 by three points shrinking the growing “gender gap” in voting.  In 2008, for example, an eight point voter turnout gap existed between young men and women (54.9% of young females voted compared to 47.2% of young men).  In 2010, the gap shrunk to just slightly over one percentage point.

As in past elections, young people with at least some college experience voted at twice the rate as their counterparts without college experience.

Finally, the youth voter turnout rate varied greatly from state to state with a high of 35.7% in Oregon to a low of just 13.6% in Nebraska.

Download the full fact sheet with detailed tables and trends, including turnout estimates by state and estimates of the number of votes cast by young people over time.

Download the press release.

16 Responses to “Official Youth Turnout Rate in 2010 was 24%”

  1. African Americans led youth voter turnout in 2010, white youth vote declined significantly… - Politicaldog101.Com Says:

    […] turnout among people aged 18-29 is estimated to have been 24 percent, according to Census data analyzed by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) and […]

  2. Election Updates - Cue the mea culpas… surveys are not a good way to measure turnout. Who woulda thunk it? Says:

    […] out that the much advertised CIRCLE report that 35% of Oregon’s 18-30 turnout rate overestimated by 50%. The original story was, of […]

  3. APA Spotlight: Gregory A. Cendana, Executive Director, APALA, AFL-CIO | 8Questions | 8Asians.com Says:

    […] If you had a crystal ball, what do you see for the future of the Asian Pacific Islander American community? This is shown through the recent release of the 2010 Census numbers and other reports like the one from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement-CIRCLE. […]

  4. OYW Test Bed » Beyond the Long Spring of Dissent Says:

    […] engaged young people feel discouraged by politics. In those elections, only an estimated 24 percent of 18-to-29s voted, according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts […]

  5. Millennials are a “we” not “me” generation | | Mike & MorleyMike & Morley Says:

    […] Twenge does acknowledge the high Millennial turnout in 2008, but the tries to explain it away by making an analytical mistake that few freshman political science students would. She points to a decline in youth voting in the 2010 midterm elections, suggesting that may be Millennials really aren’t that into voting after all. But, turnout falls sharply in midterm elections across all generations. Making an apples to apples comparison, CIRCLE data indicates that, down as it was, even in 2010 youthful voting participation was higher than it was higher than in other 21st century midterms and that the youth share of the electorate was greater than in any year since 1994.  (http://archive.civicyouth.org/official-youth-turnout-rate-in-2010-was-24/) […]

  6. Do You Think All Millennials Go to San Diego State? Says:

    […] sharply in midterm elections across all generations. Making an apples to apples comparison, CIRCLE data indicates that even in 2010 youthful voting participation was higher than it was in other 21st century […]

  7. Low Youth Turnout Expected for 2012 Election - NextGen Journal - NextGen Journal Says:

    […] the Democrats losing control of the House of Representatives, saw an unusually low youth turnout. Only 24 percent of 18 to 29 year-old registered voters came out to the polls, which some observers have blamed for the Democratic […]

  8. Millennial Voters Refuse to Be Left Out of This Election « Read Think Write Teach Says:

    […] of political participation—is that in 2010, as in 2008, young African Americans led the way in youth voter turnout. During the 2010 midterm elections, when turnout is typically far lower, young African Americans […]

  9. The Next Generation of Reformers: Reasons for Young People to Get Involved in the Electoral Reform Movement | Fair Vote Says:

    […] to The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, an estimated 24% of all eligible young people ages 18-29 voted in the 2010 midterms – in contrast to 51% of […]

  10. The young and (politically) restless | The Echo Says:

    […] the 21.3 percent of 18 to 24 year old citizens who voted in the 2010 elections, as reported by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). Some think religion can fuel and shape political passion, as demonstrated in Drascic’s […]

  11. The importance of starting young | Rights and Reason Says:

    […] “young people” (18-29). While about 45% turned out for the national election in 2012, less than one quarter showed up to vote in the 2010 […]

  12. Why elites don’t care about (youth) unemployment | notsohumbleopinions Says:

    […] their right to vote. In 2010, youth voter turnout declined from 52% in the 2008 election to a pitiful 24% of those eligible. Exit polls from 2010 show that voters under 30 years old made up only 11% of the […]

  13. A(nother) really scary chart for Democrats Says:

    […] And not only did Democrats lose big in 2010; youth turnout in that election was down hugely from 2008 and one of the worst years on record. […]

  14. A(nother) really scary chart for Democrats | The Presidency Says:

    […] only did Democrats lose big in 2010; youth turnout in that election was down hugely from 2008 and one of the worst years on record. Should this lack of enthusiasm persist, youth turnout could be historically low in […]

  15. Why I Vote: An Open Letter to my Peers | The Hendrix Delano Says:

    […] http://archive.civicyouth.org/official-youth-turnout-rate-in-2010-was-24/ […]

  16. Committed to Equal Rights & Justice – Young Voters | Blue Louisa Says:

    […] A new poll from Harvard University’s Institute of Politics  shows that young voters aren’t just much less likely to vote than they were in 2012; they’re significantly less likely. When Democrats lost control of the House, young voter turnout went down significantly from 2008 in one of the worst turnouts ever recorded. […]