Young voters’ pre-election turnout has been substantially higher than years before. Early voting from those 29 years and younger has skyrocketed in states all around the country.
According to data found at NBC News, so far ages 18 to 29 have cast over 6 million early votes. Four years ago at this stage in the election, that number was around 2 million.
A substantial increase in young voters can be seen in every state of the country. According to an NBC News Article, “In each state, more than twice the number of young Americans have already voted in the election when compared with 2016.”
Research from Tufts University compared the number of votes cast by Oct. 26, 2020, from tallies from the same date in 2016. In each state compared they found that young votes have skyrocketed.
This increase is especially visible in Texas, Florida, and North Carolina; swing states that have seen a substantial increase in young pre-election turnout compared to 2016.
Research from Tufts University shows in Texas that 753,600 votes have been cast by young voters compared to 106,000 this time in 2016.
This trend by young voters continued in Florida and North Carolina as well. In Florida, 430,700 young peoples’ votes have been cast in 2020 in comparison to 134,700 at this time in 2016. In North Carolina, 331,900 young peoples’ votes have been cast in 2020 in comparison to 88,600 at this time in 2016.
An increase in early voting has echoed across all voting demographics. According to NPR, “With one week still remaining until Election Day, Americans have already cast a record-breaking 66 million early ballots, putting the 2020 election on track for historic levels of voter turnout. That’s some 19 million more pre-election votes than were cast in the 2016 election.”
As early voting comes to an end in states all across the country, we are quickly approaching election day. Election day is set for Nov. 3, meaning that time to vote is running out.