• Political affairs -> Elections and Democracy

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What percentage of eligible voters are actually registered to vote in the US?

Nichole Udden

Honestly, I have no idea what percentage of eligible voters are actually registered to vote in the US. It's not something I've ever really thought about until now. But it's an important question, and I'm curious to know the answer.

I suppose it depends on a lot of different factors - age, race, socio-economic status, etc. I imagine that younger people are less likely to be registered to vote, simply because they may not have been around as long. And I bet that people who have more money and education are more likely to be registered, because they're more aware of the importance of political engagement.

But again, these are just guesses. So I did a quick Google search, and according to Pew Research Center, about 67% of eligible voters were registered to vote in 2020. That's actually higher than I thought it would be! Of course, it's still not perfect - a third of eligible voters not being registered is still a concerning number.

I wonder why that is, though. Are there barriers to registration that we need to address? Do people just not see the point in voting? I think it's important for us to try to understand why so many people aren't registered, so that we can work to fix the problem.

At the end of the day, though, I'm just one person. I can vote, but I can't force anyone else to do the same. All I can do is encourage my friends and family to register and vote, and hope that they'll take me up on it. Because every vote counts - and when a third of eligible voters aren't registered, that means a lot of voices are going unheard.