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Voter Participation (Average) - Age 65+ in United States
United States
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United States Value:
70.7%
Average of the percentage of U.S. citizens age 65 and older who voted in the last presidential and the last midterm national elections
Voter Participation (Average) - Age 65+ in depth:
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Voter Participation (Average) - Age 65+ by State
Average of the percentage of U.S. citizens age 65 and older who voted in the last presidential and the last midterm national elections
Voter Participation (Average) - Age 65+ in
Data from U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Voting and Registration Supplement, 2020/2022
>= 77.2%
73.4% - 77.1%
71.8% - 73.3%
67.6% - 71.7%
<= 67.5%
Voter Participation (Average) - Age 65+
- U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Voting and Registration Supplement, 2020/2022
About Voter Participation (Average) - Age 65+
US Value: 70.7%
Top State(s): New Hampshire: 80.4%
Bottom State(s): Arkansas: 58.7%
Definition: Average of the percentage of U.S. citizens age 65 and older who voted in the last presidential and the last midterm national elections
Data Source and Years(s): U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Voting and Registration Supplement, 2020/2022
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Voting and Registration Supplement, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2025.
Voting is a form of civic participation associated with better health. Research suggests active social engagement can improve mental and physical health by providing a greater sense of belonging, purpose and support. Voting allows individuals a voice in local, state and national political processes. Elected political representatives influence daily life by shaping policies that govern the distribution of power and resources impacting individual wealth, work conditions, education, housing, social services, and health care access and quality.
According to data from the Census Bureau, voter participation in the 2020 presidential election was higher among:
- Non-Hispanic white older adults compared with Asian and Hispanic older adults.
- Older adults with a college degree compared with those who have less education.
- Older adults with an annual household income of $40,000 or more; voter participation decreases with each decrease in income level.
- Older males compared with older females.
Older adults requiring disability accommodations may face additional barriers to voting. A 2017 study found that 60% of sampled polling sites had one or more features that could impede voting, and only 17% of sites fully accommodated people with disabilities.
Interventions are needed at multiple levels to increase voter participation in the United States, including:
- Simplifying voter registration processes.
- Changing voter identification laws that unfairly disadvantage racial and ethnic minorities.
- Expanding when and how people can vote through early voting and absentee ballots.
- Ensuring polling places are accessible to all voters, including people with disabilities, on election days and for early in-person voting.
Many national- and state-level organizations are committed to improving voter access and turnout. One such organization, Vot-ER, promotes civic engagement by empowering health care institutions and providers to register patients and others in their institutions to vote.
Bath, Peter A., and Dorly Deeg. “Social Engagement and Health Outcomes among Older People: Introduction to a Special Section.” European Journal of Ageing 2, no. 1 (March 1, 2005): 24–30. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-005-0019-4.
Hajnal, Zoltan, Nazita Lajevardi, and Lindsay Nielson. “Voter Identification Laws and the Suppression of Minority Votes.” The Journal of Politics 79, no. 2 (2017): 363–79. https://doi.org/10.1086/688343.
Rome, Sunny Harris. “Why Voting Matters.” In Promote the Vote: Positioning Social Workers for Action, by Sunny Harris Rome, 31–49. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84482-0_2.
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