You’ve probably heard the roar of election night—the maps turning red and blue, the pundits shouting over each other, the dramatic music. It feels like every single person in the country is glued to the screen. But look at the empty chairs. Honestly, the biggest political "party" in America isn't the Republicans or the Democrats. It's the people who just don't show up.
Think about this: In the 2024 presidential election, about 65.3% of the citizen voting-age population actually cast a ballot. That sounds decent, right? It was the third-highest turnout since 1980. But flip the script. That means roughly one in three eligible citizens sat it out. We’re talking about 80 million to 90 million people. That is a massive group of humans whose voices never made it into a tally.
Why?
It’s not just "laziness." Life is messy. Some people are working three jobs. Others literally can't find a ride. Some just hate every name on the ballot. If you want to understand how many people don't vote, you have to look past the "I don't care" stereotype and see the actual barriers—and the weirdly consistent math—of who stays home.
The Raw Math of the Missing Ballots
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2025 report on the November 2024 election, around 154 million people voted. That sounds like a lot until you realize there are over 235 million voting-age citizens.
The gap is staggering.
- 2024 Turnout: 65.3%
- 2020 Turnout: 66.8% (The modern record)
- The "Never-Voters": Pew Research found that about 26% of adult citizens didn't vote in any of the last three national elections (2020, 2022, and 2024).
When we talk about how many people don't vote, we're looking at a shrinking but still dominant slice of the population. Even in a "high interest" year like 2024, the turnout dropped by 1.5 percentage points compared to 2020. That might seem tiny. It's not. It represents millions of individuals who engaged once and then decided it wasn't worth the repeat performance.
Why Do So Many People Stay Home?
The reasons are as varied as the people themselves.
🔗 Read more: Trump Eliminate Department of Education: What Most People Get Wrong
Kinda surprising, but "not liking the candidates" was a huge driver in 2024. Per the MIT Election Lab, about 21% of non-voters cited dissatisfaction with the choices. They weren't just apathetic; they were annoyed.
The Time and Money Barrier
For a lot of folks, voting is a luxury. If you're a young person struggling to make ends meet, taking two hours off to stand in line isn't always an option. Data from CIRCLE at Tufts University shows that youth who missed registration deadlines or ran out of time were twice as likely to be struggling financially.
It’s expensive to be a voter. You need time. You need transportation. Sometimes you need a specific ID that costs money or requires a trip to a DMV that’s only open during your work hours.
The Logistic Nightmare
Then there’s the "out of town" crowd. In 2024, about 14.1% of young non-voters (ages 18-24) said they were away from home or out of town. Logistics kill participation.
Look at states like Oregon. They have a "Vote at Home" system. They mail a ballot to every single registered voter. The result? Oregon’s turnout was 75.3% in 2024—way above the national average. When you remove the "how do I get there?" and "will I be late for work?" factors, people actually participate.
Who Is the "Typical" Non-Voter?
There isn't one "type," but the trends are impossible to ignore. Education is the biggest predictor.
Basically, if you have a college degree, you’re much more likely to vote. Only 22% of non-voters in 2024 had a college degree, compared to 41% of voters.
💡 You might also like: Trump Derangement Syndrome Definition: What Most People Get Wrong
- Age Matters: Only 15% of the 2024 electorate was under age 30, even though they make up 20% of the eligible population.
- Income Gaps: Nearly 58% of 2024 voters had a household income over $100,000. Among non-voters? Only 27%.
- Race and Ethnicity: Turnout dropped across the board in 2024. Hispanic voters had the lowest turnout at 50.6%. That's essentially a coin flip.
It's a cycle. If you feel like the system doesn't serve you, you don't vote. If you don't vote, politicians don't prioritize your needs because you aren't a threat to their job. And so, the cycle continues.
The Myth of the "Liberal" Non-Voter
For decades, the conventional wisdom was that if everyone voted, Democrats would win every election.
That theory got punched in the face in 2024.
Pew Research found that 2024 non-voters were almost evenly split. If they had voted, 44% said they would have backed Trump, while 40% said they would have gone for Harris. This is a massive shift from 2020, where non-voters leaned heavily toward Biden.
Non-voters aren't a monolith. They are just as polarized as the rest of us; they just don't think the act of voting will fix the problems they see.
What Actually Changes the Numbers?
So, how do we move the needle?
Actionable shifts usually come from policy, not just "get out the vote" commercials.
📖 Related: Trump Declared War on Chicago: What Really Happened and Why It Matters
- Automatic Registration: States that register you when you get your driver’s license see higher numbers.
- Mail-in Options: Making the ballot come to the person instead of the person going to the ballot works. The Census data proves it.
- Local Stakes: Many people skip the "big" elections but might show up if they realized their local school board or city council actually controls their property taxes and their kids' education.
Taking Action: How to Not Be a Statistic
If you’ve read this far, you’re probably either a regular voter or someone wondering if it’s worth the hassle.
First, check your registration status months before an election. Don't wait until November. Many states have "cutoff" dates that catch people off guard.
Second, look into mail-in or early voting. Most states have some version of this now. It's the best way to avoid the "too busy" trap.
Third, ignore the national noise and look at your local ballot. National politics is a circus, but local politics is the plumbing. It’s the water you drink and the roads you drive on.
Understanding how many people don't vote helps us see the gaps in our community. If 50% of your neighbors are staying home, those are 50% of the ideas and concerns that aren't being addressed. Whether it's a lack of trust or just a lack of time, those missing ballots change the shape of the country for everyone else.
Practical Steps for the Next Cycle
- Verify your status: Use non-partisan tools like Vote.org to ensure you aren't purged from the rolls.
- Calendar the Deadlines: Mark the registration deadline, not just the election day.
- Request Mail-In Ballots Early: In most states, you can do this months in advance. It takes the pressure off.
- Focus on One Local Issue: Find one thing in your town—a park, a tax, a school—and see who is in charge of it. It makes the vote feel more "real."
The numbers tell us that tens of millions of people feel disconnected. But the data also shows that when we make it easier to show up, people do. The missing 35% of the country isn't a lost cause; they're just waiting for a reason—or an easier way—to be heard.