Stagnant Midterm Election Turnout Rates

     With midterm elections in November steadily approaching, many political outreach groups are urging people to head to the polls in the hopes to increase voter involvement beyond presidential elections. This distinction in the electoral process is clearly defined in Denton County’s voter turnout from previous years. Since 2002, there has been a steady increase in voter turnout for presidential elections, but a stagnation in turnout for midterm elections.

     Between the 2004 presidential election between incumbent George W. Bush and Dick Cheney and the most recent election between President Donald J. Trump and Hillary Clinton, there has been a 41.83 percent increase in voter turnout for presidential elections. While this is a positive outcome for the electoral process in terms of presidential appointment, midterm election turnout has remained at an average of 36.87 percent for the last 12 years.

     Why has turnout for midterm elections remained so low while presidential elections turnout has significantly increased?

     “I think that midterm elections tend to get way less media coverage than presidential elections,” said Chris Parish, a Sophomore at the University of North Texas. “Even when it is covered, it’s mostly on local news stations briefly and I know most people my age use social media instead of watching broadcast news on T.V.”

     Parish believes that with more promotion on social media, midterm elections could experience higher voter turnout.

     Another reason for the change, and lack thereof, in voter turnout could be because of the increase in the student population in Denton County.

     “These numbers could be because students who become registered to vote in Denton care more about the presidential elections and less about local officials,” said Michael Shuey, a senior at UNT. “I haven't voted at the midterms because it felt like it makes no sense for me to decide on officials to run a city that I will only live in temporarily.”

     This could help to explain the steep rise in presidential turnout and the consistency of midterm turnout, as it could be that long-time residents are still committed to voting for local officials, while newly arrived students are unconcerned with elections that will not have a long-term impact on them.

     Overall, however, voter turnout for midterms is still low for a fair representation of the interests of Denton County residents.

     “The midterms need more publicity and for a longer period of time leading up to them,” Shuey said. “Presidential elections are more popular because the media covers it for a year before the election even happens so you follow it like the bachelor and when midterms happen it’s not as much as an "event" to follow.”