When all the votes are counted, the 2022 midterms will go down as being a solid turnout cycle, even though it didn't quite reach the heights of the soaring turnout in 2018.
Overall, an estimated 46% of the voting-eligible population turned out this cycle to cast roughly 110 million ballots. That's a good midterm showing relative to the last couple decades even though it's down slightly from 2018, when nearly 50% of the voting-eligible population cast some 116 million ballots.
While turnout dropped in some of the most populous states, such as California, Florida, and New York, the turnout rate spiked in several battleground states. In effect, the states that hosted critical gubernatorial and Senate races as well as some consequential ballot measures saw some of the biggest turnout of the cycle, according to an analysis by NBC News.
Four of the five biggest jumps in participation came in states with marquee races for Senate and governor, including New Hampshire (an 8.3% bump) where Democratic incumbent Sen. Maggie Hassan was a top GOP target; Arizona (up 7.8%) where Democratic incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly and gubernatorial nominee Katie Hobbs beat back challenges from two right-wing GOP election deniers; Pennsylvania (up 6.6%) where Democratic Senate and gubernatorial nominees John Fetterman and Josh Shapiro prevailed over a consummate Republican grifter and an extreme Christian nationalist, respectively; and Michigan (up 5.3%) where the incumbent Democratic trio of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel, and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson turned back the bids of the three cooky GOP election election running against them. Nevada also saw a 4.7% rise in turnout as Democratic incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto eked out a victory against a pro-Trump election denier to help ensure Democrats would maintain control of the U.S. Senate.
Voters in Michigan and Vermont, which both saw a 5.3% spike in participation, also had ballot measures that codified into law the right to reproductive freedom in the state.
In South Dakota, where turnout jumped 3.2% from 2018, 56% of voters put their support behind a ballot measure to expand Medicaid access. It was the only Western plains state to see a bump in turnout from 2018.
But in states such as Iowa and Ohio, where Democrats had strong senatorial candidates they hoped might break through, turnout decreased considerably from 2018, 8% and 8.6% respectively. Democratic Senate nominees in both states, Mike Franken in Iowa and Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio, came up solidly short of flipping those seats.
Overall, an estimated 46% of the voting-eligible population turned out this cycle to cast roughly 110 million ballots. That's a good midterm showing relative to the last couple decades even though it's down slightly from 2018, when nearly 50% of the voting-eligible population cast some 116 million ballots.
While turnout dropped in some of the most populous states, such as California, Florida, and New York, the turnout rate spiked in several battleground states. In effect, the states that hosted critical gubernatorial and Senate races as well as some consequential ballot measures saw some of the biggest turnout of the cycle, according to an analysis by NBC News.
Four of the five biggest jumps in participation came in states with marquee races for Senate and governor, including New Hampshire (an 8.3% bump) where Democratic incumbent Sen. Maggie Hassan was a top GOP target; Arizona (up 7.8%) where Democratic incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly and gubernatorial nominee Katie Hobbs beat back challenges from two right-wing GOP election deniers; Pennsylvania (up 6.6%) where Democratic Senate and gubernatorial nominees John Fetterman and Josh Shapiro prevailed over a consummate Republican grifter and an extreme Christian nationalist, respectively; and Michigan (up 5.3%) where the incumbent Democratic trio of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel, and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson turned back the bids of the three cooky GOP election election running against them. Nevada also saw a 4.7% rise in turnout as Democratic incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto eked out a victory against a pro-Trump election denier to help ensure Democrats would maintain control of the U.S. Senate.
Voters in Michigan and Vermont, which both saw a 5.3% spike in participation, also had ballot measures that codified into law the right to reproductive freedom in the state.
In South Dakota, where turnout jumped 3.2% from 2018, 56% of voters put their support behind a ballot measure to expand Medicaid access. It was the only Western plains state to see a bump in turnout from 2018.
But in states such as Iowa and Ohio, where Democrats had strong senatorial candidates they hoped might break through, turnout decreased considerably from 2018, 8% and 8.6% respectively. Democratic Senate nominees in both states, Mike Franken in Iowa and Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio, came up solidly short of flipping those seats.