FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, June 30, 2023

Maine had highest voter turnout in November 2022 election

AUGUSTA — Maine voters turned out to vote at a higher rate than voters in any other state in the November 2022 General Election at 61.8% turnout of citizens of voting age population. When looking at turnout as a percentage of active registered voters, the number was even higher – 73.3% of active registered Maine voters participated in the 2022 election.

The 2022 Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS) Report from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission – the most comprehensive compilation of voting data from U.S. jurisdictions – was released on Thursday.

“We are proud of our accessible, accurate and secure elections, and Maine historically has been one of the best in the nation for voter participation, so it’s no surprise that this year we took first place,” said Secretary of State Shenna Bellows. “All of us should express our thanks to everyone who makes Maine elections so successful – from voters to volunteers to local and state elections workers who labor tirelessly on our behalf. Our communities thrive when people can make their voices heard.”

Only eight other states saw turnout (as a percentage of voting age population) above 55% in November 2022. Closely following Maine were Oregon (61.5%), Minnesota (59.9%), Wisconsin (59.7%) and Colorado (59%). Nationwide, turnout was 46.8%, a decrease of 5.1 percentage points from the 2018 general election. Statistics for all states are in overview table 1 on pages 28-29.

Maine increased turnout by 1.2% from the last gubernatorial election year, while turnout decreased in most states between the 2018 and 2022 elections (see figure 2 on page 8).

Maine’s 61.8% turnout is the percentage of population that voted per overall citizen voting age population, the measure of voter turnout that allows for the most accurate comparisons across states. Maine, unlike most other states, does not artificially shrink the voting eligible population by denying the right to vote to some citizens with current or former incarceration status.

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