Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2004 Issued March 2006 Population Characteristics P20-556 This report examines the levels of voting Current and registration in the November 2004 ABOUT THIS REPORT Population presidential election, the characteristics Voting and registration rates histori- Reports of citizens who reported that they were cally have been higher in years with registered for or voted in the election, presidential elections than in con- By and the reasons why registered voters gressional election years. For the Kelly Holder did not vote. purposes of this report, the 2004 The data on voting and registration in this data (a presidential election year) report are based on responses to the are compared with previous presi- November 2004 Current Population dential election years (2000, 1996, Survey (CPS) Voting and Registration 1992, etc.). Supplement, which surveys the civilian noninstitutionalized population in the United States.1 The estimates presented 1992, when 68 percent of voting-age in this report may differ from those based citizens voted.3 The overall number of on administrative data or data from exit people who voted in the November 2004 polls. For more information, see the sec- election was 126 million, a record high tion Accuracy of the Estimates. for a presidential election year. Voter turnout increased by 15 million voters VOTING AND REGISTRATION from the election in 2000. During this OF THE VOTING-AGE same 4-year period, the voting-age CITIZEN POPULATION citizen population increased by 11 mil- lion people. Turnout for the November 2004 Election The registration rate of the voting-age In the presidential election of November citizen population, 72 percent, was 2004, the 64 percent of voting-age citi- higher than the 70 percent registered in zens who voted was higher than the the 2000 election. The last presidential 60 percent who turned out in 2000 election year to have a higher registra- (Table A).2 This was the highest turnout tion rate was 1992, when 75 percent of in a presidential election year since voting-age citizens were registered to 1 People in the military, U.S. citizens living differ from actual values because of sampling vari- abroad, and people in institutionalized housing, such ability or other factors. As a result, apparent differ- as correctional institutions and nursing homes, were ences between the estimates for two or more groups not included in the survey. For a discussion of the may not be statistically significant. All comparative differences between the official counts of votes cast statements have undergone statistical testing and and the CPS data, see the section Measuring Voting are significant at the 90-percent confidence level in the Current Population Survey. unless otherwise noted. 2 The estimates in this report (which may be 3 Additional information about historical voting shown in text, figures, and tables) are based on and registration data is available at <www.census.gov responses from a sample of the population and may /population/www/socdemo/voting.html>. U.S. Department of Commerce U S C E N S U S B U R E A U Economics and Statistics Administration U.S. CENSUS BUREAU Helping You Make Informed Decisions Table A. Reported Rates of Voting and Registration: 1996 to 2004 (Numbers in thousands) Citizens Registered Registered Voted Presidential election year 90-percent 90-percent Percent 90-percent confidence confidence reported confidence Total Total Number Percent interval Number Percent interval voted interval Total, 18 Years and Older 2004 . ....................... 215,694 197,005 142,070 72.1 71.8−72.4 125,736 63.8 63.5−64.1 88.5 88.3−88.7 2000. ....................... 202,609 186,366 129,549 69.5 69.2−69.8 110,826 59.5 59.2−59.8 85.5 85.2−85.8 1996. ....................... 193,651 179,935 127,661 70.9 70.6−71.2 105,017 58.4 58.1−58.7 82.3 82.0−82.6 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, November 1996, 2000, and 2004. vote. Total registration in the voted at higher rates than women, Age November 2004 election was women’s rates surpassed those of The voting rate was higher among 142 million citizens, an increase of men in the 18-and-older population the older citizen population than 12.5 million registered citizens for the first time in the presidential the younger citizen population. since the 2000 election. election of 1984. The rate for citizens 55 and older was 72 percent in the 2004 presi- The majority of people who were Nativity Status registered to vote actually voted. dential election, compared with Among people who were regis- In 2004, most voting-age citizens, 47 percent among 18- to 24-year- tered to vote in the November 93 percent, were native (that is, old citizens. 2004 election, 89 percent reported born in the United States or its ter- A key difference between these they voted, up from 86 percent in ritories or born abroad to a U.S. age groups was registration. While the 2000 presidential election. citizen), and thus automatically 79 percent of citizens 55 years and Historically, the likelihood that an had U.S. citizenship at birth. Of older were registered to vote in individual will actually vote once the estimated 216 million people 2004, 58 percent of the younger registered has remained high, with of voting age in November 2004, citizens were.4 Young adults, espe- the peak at 91 percent in 1968. 32 million were not citizens at cially people in their twenties, are birth, having immigrated to the the most transient, which may lead WHO VOTES? United States. Of those, 13 million to lower levels of registration (41 percent) were naturalized citi- This section of the report high- because moving usually requires zens and therefore eligible to reg- lights voting and registration rates re-registering.5 ister and vote in the November by selected characteristics for the 2004 election. The remainder of While young adults had the lowest voting-age citizen population who immigrants, 19 million people, voting and registration rates in participated in the November 2004 were of voting age but did not 2004, they had the largest increase presidential election. have U.S. citizenship. in both rates since the 2000 presi- Sex dential election compared with all Registration rates were higher other age groups. The registration Among the citizen population, among native than naturalized citi- rate for 18- to 24-year-old citizens 74 percent of women and 71 per- zens (Table B). In the election of cent of men were registered to vote 2004, 73 percent of native citizens 4 The voting rates of those 55 to 64 in the 2004 presidential election. were registered, compared with years of age, 65 to 74 years of age, and 75 years and older were not statistically Women were more likely than men 61 percent of naturalized citizens. different. to vote (65 percent compared with Native citizens also had a higher 5 Jason Schachter. “Geographic Mobility: 2002 to 2003.” Current Population Reports 62 percent), as shown in Table B. voter turnout (65 percent) than P20-549. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Although men historically have naturalized citizens (54 percent). Bureau, 2004. 2 U.S. Census Bureau UNDERSTANDING VOTING RATES Voting-Age Population results in a voter turnout rate of 64 percent in 2004. This analysis focuses on the voting rates of the vot- One of the primary criteria for being eligible to vote is age. Since 1972, every state has required that a ing-age citizen population, also referred to in this person must be at least 18 report as “potential voters.” years of age to be eligible Registered Population to vote. Thus, the voting- Figure 1. age population, or the 18- Voters Among the Total, Citizen, A third criterion is registra- and-older population, is a and Registered Voting-Age tion. Every state, with the population base often Populations: 2004 exception of North Dakota, used in presenting voting (Population 18 and older, in millions) requires eligible voters to statistics. In the election register to vote. A major- of November 2004, 126 215.7 ity of people who are reg- million people, or 58 per- 197.0 istered to vote actually do cent of the voting-age pop- vote—89 percent in the 89.9 ulation, voted. The U.S. 71.3 142.1 November 2004 election. Census Bureau has histori- 16.4 Nonvoting Fifty-five million potential cally estimated voting and population voters were not registered registration rates using in 2004. this population. 125.7 125.7 125.7 Voting Figure 1 illustrates the Voting-Age Citizen population three measures of voting (58.3%) (63.8%) (88.5%) (Voting rate) Population rates. In November 2004, of the 216 million people A second criterion for vot- Total Citizen Registered who were 18 and older, ing eligibility is citizenship. population population population Only citizens of the United 197 million were citizens States (either native or nat- Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, and 142 million were regis- November 2004. uralized) are allowed to tered. In the November vote in elections. While election, 126 million peo- data on voting and registra- ple voted. Thus, the voting tion have been collected in the CPS since 1964, data rates for the population 18 and older were 58 per- on citizenship status have been collected on a consis- cent of the total voting-age population, 64 percent of tent basis in the CPS only since 1994. Removing the voting-age citizen population, and 89 percent of noncitizens from the voting-age population base the registered population.