Dive Into Information About Voter Turnout Rates in Tucson, Arizona MSA
How are we doing?
Voter Turnout Rate (2022)
During the 2022 midterm election, the voter turnout rate for the state of Arizona was 44.7%, 15.6 percentage points lower than the rate during the 2020 presidential election. Generally, midterm elections typically have lower turnout compared to presidential elections. Arizona ranked fourth out of the 10 western states in voter turnout rates. Of the western states chosen for comparison, Oregon had the highest voter turnout, with 58.7% of the voting-age population casting a ballot. On the opposite end, Texas ranked last, with a voter turnout rate of 35.9%.
Why is it important?
Voter turnout is a measure of civic engagement and willingness to participate in the political process. Low voter turnout may be a result of a multitude of factors, including but not limited to socioeconomic status, age, disillusionment, indifference, or contentment. Generally speaking, higher voter turnout is desirable, as it lends to election results that reflect the will of the people.
How do we compare?
During the 2020 presidential election, voter turnout for the nation was 61.6%. Turnout in Arizona was 1.3 percentage points less than the U.S., at 60.3%. The voter turnout rate in the Tucson MSA was 63.0%, surpassing the state by 2.7 percentage points and the nation by 1.4 percentage points.
What are the key trends?
Since 2000, the Tucson MSA has experienced an 8.4 percentage point increase in the voter turnout rate for presidential elections. These years are represented by the peaks on the accompanying graph. During the same timeframe, the U.S. and the state of Arizona have also experienced increases in the voter turnout rate for presidential elections, at 4.5 and 9.0 percentage points, respectively.
The troughs of the graph represent the voter turnout rate in midterm election years. Since 2002, Arizona and the Tucson MSA have experienced a more substantial increase than the nation, with 13.3, 12.8, and 5.6 percentage point increases, respectively.
How is it measured?
Voter turnout is measured by the percentage of the voting-age population that cast ballots. State data are from the U.S. Elections Project, while Arizona county data came directly from the Arizona Secretary of State’s official election canvass.
