You've probably heard the victory speeches and seen the red and blue maps a thousand times by now. But there is a massive group of people—enough to fill every NFL stadium in the country dozens of times over—who didn't show up at all. Honestly, it’s the biggest "political party" in America, and they don't even have a mascot.
When we talk about how many didn't vote in 2024, we are looking at a staggering figure: roughly 90 million eligible citizens.
That is not a typo.
While 154 million people did cast a ballot, the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2025 report confirmed that about 35% of the voting-age population essentially sat this one out. It’s a weird paradox. We’re told this was the most "consequential election of our lifetimes," yet nearly one in three people looked at the options and decided to do literally anything else.
The Numbers Behind the Silence
The raw data is kind of overwhelming. According to the Census Bureau, the voter turnout rate was 65.3%. That’s high—the third-highest in thirty years—but it’s a 1.5% drop from the record-shattering 2020 election. Basically, the "Trump vs. Harris" matchup didn't have quite the same magnetic pull as the 2020 cycle.
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Why the dip?
It wasn't just one thing. It was a cocktail of burnout, logistics, and a genuine "meh" toward the candidates.
Who were the "Drop-offs"?
Pew Research Center uses a great term for these people: drop-offs. These are folks who voted in 2020 but ghosted the polls in 2024. Interestingly, 15% of people who voted for Joe Biden in 2020 didn't show up for Kamala Harris. On the flip side, only 11% of Trump’s 2020 base stayed home. That small gap in "showing up" is a huge part of why the map shifted the way it did.
- Age Matters: Young people (18-24) were the least likely to vote. Less than half of them made it to the polls.
- The Education Gap: If you have an advanced degree, there's an 82.5% chance you voted. If you have a high school diploma or less? That number plummets to 52.5%.
- Gender: Women still outpace men. 66.9% of women voted compared to 63.7% of men.
Why How Many Didn't Vote in 2024 Actually Changed the Outcome
It’s easy to think a non-vote is just a zero. It’s not. In a tight race, a "no-show" is a choice that echoes.
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USAFacts points out that the biggest drop in turnout happened among Hispanic voters. Their participation rate fell to about 50.6%. When you consider that this demographic was one of the most heavily courted by both campaigns, seeing half of them stay home is a bit of a shocker.
Then you have the "too busy" crowd.
Nearly 18% of non-voters told the Census Bureau they were just too swamped with work or school. Another 15% said they flat-out didn't like the candidates. This wasn't just laziness. For a lot of people, the cost of living was so high and their lives were so stressed that finding two hours to stand in line at a middle school gymnasium felt like a luxury they couldn't afford.
The Barrier of Information
A study by Tufts CIRCLE found something heartbreaking: 14% of young non-voters said they didn't have enough information about how to vote or who the candidates even were. In the age of TikTok and 24-hour news, we have a "digital divide" where people are drowning in memes but starving for basic civic instructions.
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The "Circus" Factor
One voter quoted in The Guardian called the whole thing a "circus." That sentiment was everywhere. When the news is a constant stream of "the end of democracy" on one side and "the destruction of the country" on the other, some people just unplug. They go into a survival mode where the person in the White House feels less important than the price of eggs at the local Kroger.
What Happens Next?
If we want to change how many didn't vote in 2024 in the future, we have to look at the friction.
It’s not just about "inspiring" people. It’s about making it easier. 2024 saw a massive shift back to in-person voting. Only 29% of people voted by mail, a huge drop from the 43% who used stamps in 2020. When mail-in options are restricted or become politically taboo, the "too busy" crowd is the first to get cut out of the process.
Practical Steps to Stay Engaged (Without the Burnout):
- Verify your status now: Don't wait for 2028. Check Vote.gov to see if you’re still on the rolls. States purge lists more often than you’d think.
- Local matters more: Your school board and city council affect your daily life way more than the President does. Turnout for these is usually abysmal—your single vote actually has massive leverage here.
- Set a "Civic Calendar": Mark the primary dates for 2026. These midterms are where the real "candidate picking" happens, and hardly anyone shows up for them.
- Ignore the "Circus": Focus on policy, not the personalities. If a candidate makes you feel angry or scared, ask yourself what they actually plan to do about the issues you care about, like housing or healthcare.
The 90 million who stayed home aren't a monolith. They are your neighbors, your coworkers, and maybe even you. Understanding why they sat out is the only way to make sure the next "most important election" actually involves everyone.