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Delaware Value:
Average of the percentage of U.S. citizens age 65 and older who voted in the last presidential and the last midterm national elections
Delaware Rank:
Average of the percentage of U.S. citizens age 65 and older who voted in the last presidential and the last midterm national elections
80.4% - 77.3%
77.2% - 73.5%
73.4% - 71.9%
71.8% - 67.7%
67.6% - 58.7%
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 2026.
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:
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:
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.
America’s Health Rankings builds on the work of the United Health Foundation to draw attention to public health and better understand the health of various populations. Our platform provides relevant information that policymakers, public health officials, advocates and leaders can use to effect change in their communities.
We have developed detailed analyses on the health of key populations in the country, including women and children, seniors and those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, in addition to a deep dive into health disparities across the country.
