Sang N.

Why Many Registered Voters Did Not Vote in the 2024 US Elections

Why did so many people who registered to vote not show up to vote for the US elections

Overview

The 2024 US presidential election achieved a voter turnout of approximately 65.3%, with 154 million people casting ballots from a citizenry whose voting-age population is about 236 million. However, around 20 million registered voters—11.5% of the 174 million people who registered to vote—chose not to vote. This abstention, although not entirely surprising, reveals a complex mixture of psychological, logistical, and systemic factors, which have been highlighted numerous times by other researchers and analysts. And in this post we dig into some of the factors.

Key Reasons for Non-Voting

But what were the main reasons why these people decided not to vote, even after registering? Research suggests several primary reasons why many registered voters did not participate in the 2024 US Elections:

Disengagement and Apathy

Many voters felt uninterested or believed their vote wouldn’t matter. Data from the US Census Bureau revealed that 19.7% cited lack of interest and 35% respondents who did not vote said they felt their vote was inconsequential, particularly amongst younger voters (44% of young non-voters were disengaged). [Source: USA FACTS]

Dissatisfaction with Candidates

The contest between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris left 14.7% of non-voters dissatisfied, feeling neither candidate addressed critical issues like the cost of living / inflation, unemployment, low pay or jobs, leading to a “double-hater” sentiment.

Practical and Logistical Barriers

Logistical challenges significantly hindered voting participation with 17.8% saying they were too busy (17.8%), 7.4% saying they had been out of town, whereas 12.4% cited health issues.

Then there were structural barriers such as strict voter ID laws and limited polling locations, which also played a role, particularly affecting low-income and minority communities, a topic which the mainstream media probably doesn’t cover sufficiently.

Demographic and Socioeconomic Factors

Racial disparities were evident, with Hispanic voters showing the lowest turnout, partly due to historical disenfranchisement. The turnout was notably lower amongst:

  • Younger voters (here note that less than half of 18-24-year-olds voted).
  • Lower-income individuals, and
  • People with less education.

Mistrust in the Political System

Distrust in government and election integrity deterred voting, fueled by debates over misinformation and past election controversies, with many believing the system was broken.

Perceived Lack of Competition

In non-competitive states, voters felt their vote wouldn’t change outcomes, reducing motivation, especially in areas dominated by one party.

Voter Fatigue and Negative Campaigning

The polarised and negative political climate since 2016 contributed to fatigue, with some feeling overwhelmed by frequent elections and negative campaigning, though the exact impact is debatable.

Further, there were other issues which caused voter fatigue or apathy such as the Biden government’s support for Israel’s war on Gaza, and the subsequent clampdown on student protesters at universities – which many analysts claim had a negative impact on voter turnout by younger people (and those Americans who are sympathetic to the Palestinian cause). However, the extent to which such factors are true remains unquantified and is debatable.

Important Context: Erosion of Civic Infrastructure

One under-explored factor is the decline in civic infrastructure, such as community organisations and unions, which over the years has reduced political socialisation and mobilisation. Unlike countries with mandatory voting, the US relies on individual initiative, often failing to engage disengaged populations, particularly in areas with weaker civic networks.

Supporting Data

The following table summarises the voter turnout and non-voting figures based on official sources:

CategoryNumber (Millions)Percentage
Citizen Voting-Age Population236.4100%
Registered Voters17473.6%
Voted15465.3%
Registered Non-Voters2011.5%
Eligible Voters (VEP)~245100%
Eligible Non-Voters~8936%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (30 April 2025), USA Facts (2025), University of Florida Election Lab

Key Research Sources

Disengagement and Apathy: Research from the Pew Research Centre showed that 19.7% of non-voters cited a lack of interest, whilst 35% believed their vote was inconsequential. This was particularly pronounced amongst younger voters, with 44% of young non-voters expressing disinterest or dissatisfaction, as noted in the Survey Centre on American Life’s 2024 analysis. The figures above support a Guardian article from 13 December 2024 which highlighted that nearly 90 million Americans didn’t vote, underscoring high disengagement levels.

Candidate Dissatisfaction: Pew Research Centre reported that 68% of voters were not satisfied with the candidates in July 2024, with 14.7% of non-voters citing dislike for the candidates or issues which they were championing. The CIRCLE report from 15 January 2025 noted that young non-voters prioritised economic issues like inflation and jobs, feeling neither candidate addressed their concerns.

Logistical Barriers: The CIRCLE report highlighted that 31% of young non-voters missed registration deadlines or were too busy. The Brennan Centre for Justice noted in January 2024 that voting laws became more restrictive, with 881 laws introduced to interfere with elections, impacting access through voter ID laws and limited polling locations.

Demographic Disparities: Pew Research Centre’s 26 June 2025 analysis showed older, more affluent, and more educated voters had higher turnout rates. The U.S. Census Bureau’s 30 April 2025 report indicated that 82.5% of those with advanced degrees voted, compared to 52.5% of secondary school graduates.

System Distrust: Pew Research Centre’s 24 June 2024 survey showed only 23% of Americans trusting the government. The Council on Foreign Relations’ 31 October 2024 brief discussed threats to election security, and the Australian Institute of International Affairs’ 6 June 2024 study showed conservatives and African Americans held higher levels of election distrust.

Negative Campaigning Impact: Pew Research Centre’s 10 October 2024 report noted 71% of voters felt the campaign was too negative, contributing to exhaustion from frequent elections.

Implications and Recommendations

If the US system is to be improved going forward, then changes need to be made. One suggestion has been to simplify the voting process by restructuring the Electoral College system so that it is more reflective of people’s preferences. In addition, there is a need to expand access through early voting or automatic registration, although this has been a bi-partisan sticking point. A further issue which needs attention is that regarding rebuilding trust in electoral systems. There is also a need to enhance civic education, especially in areas with weak civic infrastructure. Finally, as several scandals have shown in the past, there is a hunger for opening up candidate selection so that people have a greater say in voting on more compelling candidates (as opposed to leaving the process to the machinery of political parties).

Measures such as these have the potential to greatly increase voter turnout and ensure a fairer and more representative democracy.

Links

Reply