Non-voters compared to voters in presidential elections (1828-2008)
Compiled by Hans Sherrer (January 2009)
http://forejustice.org/vote/nonvoterchart.htm






Year Eligible voters Cast Ballots % CB Non-voters % of EV % Non-voters compared to 'Winner' Winner (of Cast Ballots) Cast Ballots % of EV Second Place Candidate Cast Ballots % of EV Third Place Candidate
Cast Ballots % of EV Other % of EV
2008 231,229,580 131,237,603 0.568 99,991,977 0.432 144% Barack Obama (D) 69,456,897 0.300 John McCain (R) 59,934,814 0.259 Ralph Nader (Independent)
738,771 0.003 1,845,892 0.008
2004 219,973,000 122,267,553 0.556 97,705,447 0.444 157% George W. Bush (R) 62,040,610 0.282 John F. Kerry (D) 59,028,444 0.268 Ralph Nader (Reform/Populist/Independent)
465,650 0.002 732,849 0.003
2000 209,834,000 105,405,100 0.502 104,428,900 0.498 205% George W. Bush (R) 50,999,897 0.243 Al Gore (D) 50,456,002 0.240 Ralph Nader (Green)
2,882,955 0.014 1,066,246 0.005
1996 196,789,000 96,277,634 0.489 100,511,366 0.511 212% William 'Bill' Clinton 47,402,357 0.241 Robert 'Bob' Dole 39,198,755 0.199 Henry Ross Perot (Reform) Reform(c) 8,085,402 0.041 1,591,120 0.008
1992 189,493,000 104,423,923 0.551 85,069,077 0.449 189% William 'Bill' Clinton 44,909,806 0.237 George H.W. Bush 39,104,550 0.206 Henry Ross Perot (Reform)
19,743,821 0.104 665,746 0.004
1988 181,956,000 91,594,686 0.503 90,361,314 0.497 185% George H.W. Bush 48,886,597 0.269 Michael S. Dukakis 41,809,476 0.230 Ron Paul (Libertarian)
431,750 0.002 466,863 0.003
1984 173,995,000 92,653,233 0.533 81,341,767 0.467 149% Ronald Reagan (R) 54,455,472 0.313 Walter Mondale 37,577,352 0.216 David Bergland (Libertarian)
228,111 0.001 392,298 0.002
1980 163,945,000 86,574,904 0.528 77,370,096 0.472 176% Ronald Reagan (R) 43,903,230 0.268 James 'Jimmy' Carter, Jr. 35,480,115 0.216 John Bayard Anderson
5,719,850 0.035 1,471,709 0.009
1976 152,308,000 81,531,584 0.535 70,776,416 0.465 173% James 'Jimmy' Carter, Jr. 40,831,881 0.268 Gerald Ford 39,148,634 0.257 Eugene McCarthy
740,460 0.005 810,609 0.005
1972 140,777,000 77,744,027 0.552 63,032,973 0.448 134% Richard Nixon 47,168,710 0.335 George McGovern 29,173,222 0.207 John G. Schmitz (American Independent)
1,100,868 0.008 301,227 0.002
1968 120,285,000 73,199,998 0.609 47,085,002 0.391 148% Richard Nixon 31,783,783 0.264 Hubert Humphrey 31,271,839 0.260 George Wallace (American Independent)
9,901,118 0.082 243,258 0.002
1964 114,090,000 70,651,298 0.619 43,438,702 0.381 101% Lyndon Johnson 43,127,041 0.378 Barry Goldwater 27,175,754 0.238 Eric Hass (Socialist Labor)
45,189 0.000 303,314 0.003
1960 109,672,000 68,895,628 0.628 40,776,372 0.372 119% John Kennedy 34,220,984 0.312 Richard Nixon 34,108,157 0.311 Orval Faubus ('States' Rights)
44,984 0.000 521,503 0.005
1956 104,515,000 62,021,328 0.593 42,493,672 0.407 119% Dwight Eisenhower 35,579,180 0.340 Adlai Stevenson II 26,028,028 0.249 T. Coleman Andrews (States' Rights)
107,929 0.001 306,191 0.003
1952 99,929,000 61,769,147 0.618 38,159,853 0.382 112% Dwight Eisenhower 34,075,529 0.341 Adlai Stevenson II 27,375,090 0.274 Vincent Hallinan ('Progressive)
140,746 0.001 177,782 0.002
1948 95,573,000 48,793,535 0.511 46,779,465 0.489 193% Harry Truman 24,179,347 0.253 Thomas Dewey 21,991,292 0.230 James Thurmond (Dixiecrat)
1,175,930 0.012 1,446,966 0.015
1944 85,654,000 47,977,063 0.560 37,676,937 0.440 147% Franklin Roosevelt 25,612,916 0.299 Thomas Dewey 22,017,929 0.257 Norman Thomas (Socialist)
79,017 0.001 267,201 0.003
1940 84,728,000 49,902,113 0.589 34,825,887 0.411 128% Franklin Roosevelt 27,313,945 0.322 Wendell Willkie 22,347,744 0.264 Norman Thomas (Socialist)
116,599 0.001 123,825 0.001
1936 80,174,000 45,647,699 0.569 34,526,301 0.431 124% Franklin Roosevelt 27,752,648 0.346 Alfred Landon 16,681,862 0.208 William Lemke (Union)
892,378 0.011 320,811 0.004
1932 75,768,000 39,751,898 0.525 36,016,102 0.475 158% Franklin Roosevelt 22,821,277 0.301 Herbert Hoover 15,761,254 0.208 Norman Thomas (Socialist)
884,885 0.012 284,482 0.004
1928 64,687,191 36,807,012 0.57 27,880,179 0.431 130% Herbert Hoover (Republican) 21,427,123 0.331 Alfred E. Smith (Democratic) 15,015,464 0.232 Norman Thomas (Socialist)
267,478 0.004 96,947 0.001
1924 59,553,030 29,121,432 0.49 30,431,598 0.511 194% (John) Calvin Coolidge (Republican) 15,723,789 0.264 John W Davis (Democratic) 8,386,242 0.141 Robert M LaFollette (Progressive)
4,831,706 0.081 179,695 0.003
1920 54,400,772 26,765,180 0.49 27,635,592 0.508 171% Warren G Harding (Republican) 16,144,093 0.297 James Cox (Democratic) 9,139,661 0.168 Eugene Debs (Socialist)
913,693 0.017 567,733 0.010
1916 30,091,859 18,536,585 0.62 11,555,274 0.384 127% (Thomas) Woodrow Wilson (Democratic) 9,126,868 0.303 Charles Hughes (Republican) 8,548,728 0.284 Allan L Benson (Socialist)
590,524 0.020 270,465 0.009
1912 25,593,255 15,048,834 0.59 10,544,421 0.412 167% (Thomas) Woodrow Wilson (Democratic) 6,296,284 0.246 Theodore Roosevelt (Progressive) 4,122,721 0.161 William Howard Taft (Republican)
3,486,242 0.136 1,143,587 0.045
1908 22,766,454 14,889,261 0.65 7,877,193 0.346 103% William Howard Taft 7,678,395 0.337 William Jennings Bryan (Democrat) 6,408,984 0.282 Eugene Debs (Socialist)
420,793 0.018 381,089 0.017
1904 20,743,868 13,525,002 0.65 7,218,866 0.348 95% Theodore Roosevelt (Republican) 7,630,457 0.368 Alton Parker (Democratic) 5,083,880 0.245 Eugene Debs (Socialist)
402,810 0.019 407,855 0.020
1900 19,122,167 13,997,426 0.73 5,124,741 0.268 71% William McKinley (Republican) 7,228,864 0.378 William Jennings Bryan (Democrat) 6,370,932 0.333 John G Woolley (Prohibition)
210,864 0.011 186,766 0.010
1896 17,574,335 13,936,448 0.79 3,637,887 0.207 51% William McKinley (Republican) 7,112,138 0.405 William Jennings Bryan (Democratic/Populist) 6,510,807 0.370 John McCauley Palmer (National Democratic)
133,730 0.008 179,773 0.010
1892 16,155,337 12,068,037 0.75 4,087,300 0.253 74% Stephen Grover Cleveland (Democratic) 5,553,898 0.344 Benjamin Harrison (Republican) 5,190,819 0.321 James Baird Weaver (Populist)
1,026,595 0.064 296,725 0.018
1888 14,354,754 11,383,320 0.79 2,971,434 0.207 55% Benjamin Harrison (Republican) 5,443,892 0.379 Stephen Grover Cleveland (Democratic) 5,534,488 0.386 Clinton B Fisk (Prohibition)
249,819 0.017 155,121 0.011
1884 12,967,425 10,049,754 0.78 2,917,671 0.225 60% Grover Cleveland (Democratic) 4,874,621 0.376 James G Blaine (Republican) 4,848,936 0.374 Benjamin F Butler (Greenback/Anti-Monopoly)
175,096 0.014 151,101 0.012
1880 11,600,820 9,211,051 0.79 2,389,769 0.206 54% James Garfield (Republican) 4,446,158 0.383 Winfield Scott Hancock (Democratic) 4,444,260 0.383 James Baird Weaver (Greenback Labor)
305,997 0.026 14,636 0.001
1876 10,284,964 8,413,101 0.82 1,871,863 0.182 46% Rutherford B Hayes (Republican) 4,034,311 0.392 Samuel J Tilden (Democratic) 4,288,546 0.417 Peter Cooper (Greenback Labor)
75,973 0.007 14,271 0.001
1872 9,071,077 6,467,678 0.71 2,603,399 0.287 72% Ulysses S. Grant (Republican) 3,598,235 0.397 Horace Greeley (Democratic/Liberal Republican) 2,834,761 0.313 Charles O'Conor (Bourbon Democratic)
18,602 0.002 16,080 0.002
1868 8,025,863 5,722,440 0.71 2,303,423 0.287 76% Ulysses S. Grant (Republican) 3,013,650 0.375 Horatio Seymour (Democratic) 2,708,744 0.338 Other
46 0.000 0 0.000
1864 5,463,262 4,031,887 0.74 1,431,375 0.262 65% Abraham Lincoln ('National Union) 2,218,388 0.406 George B McClellan (Democratic) 1,812,807 0.332 Other
692 0.000 0 0.000
1860 5,770,395 4,685,561 0.81 1,084,834 0.188 58% Abraham Lincoln ('Republican) 1,865,908 0.323 Stephen A. Douglas (Northern Democratic) 1,380,202 0.239 John C. Breckinridge (Southern Democratic)
848,019 0.147 591,432 0.102
1856 5,138,970 4,054,647 0.79 1,084,323 0.211 59% James Buchanan (Democratic) 1,836,072 0.357 John Charles Frémont (Republican) 1,342,345 0.261 Millard Fillmore (American/Whig)
873,053 0.170 3,177 0.001
1852 4,542,859 3,161,830 0.7 1,381,029 0.304 86% Franklin Pierce (Democratic) 1,607,510 0.354 Winfield Scott (Whig) 1,386,942 0.305 John Parker Hale (Free Soil)
155,210 0.034 12,168 0.003
1848 3,960,363 2,879,184 0.73 1,081,179 0.273 79% Zachary Taylor (Whig) 1,361,393 0.344 Lewis Cass (Democratic) 1,223,460 0.309 Martin Van Buren (Free Soil)
291,501 0.074 2,830 0.001
1844 3,426,691 2,703,659 0.79 723,032 0.211 54% James K. Polk (Democratic) 1,339,494 0.391 Henry Clay (Whig) 1,300,004 0.379 James G. Birney (Liberty)
62,103 0.018 2,058 0.001
1840 3,007,241 2,411,808 0.8 595,433 0.198 47% William Henry Harrison (Whig) 1,275,390 0.424 Martin Van Buren (Democratic) 1,128,854 0.375 James G. Birney (Liberty)
6,797 0.002 767 0.000
1836 2,601,269 1,503,534 0.58 1,097,735 0.422 144% Martin Van Buren (Democratic) 764,176 0.294 William Henry Harrison (Whig) 550,816 0.212 Hugh Lawson White (Whig)
146,107 0.056 42,435 0.016
1832 2,335,691 1,293,973 0.55 1,041,718 0.446 148% Andrew Jackson (Democratic) 701,780 0.305 Henry Clay ('National Republican) 484,205 0.207 William Wirt (Anti-Masonic)
100,715 0.043 7,273 0.003
1828 1,993,087 1,148,018 0.58 845,069 0.424 132% Andrew Jackson (Democratic) 642,553 0.322 John Quincy Adams (National Republican) 500,897 0.251 Other
4,568 0.002 0 0.000
1824
365,833



John Quincy Adams (Democratic-Republican) 113,122
Andrew Jackson ( Democratic-Republican) 151,271
Henry Clay (Democratic-Republican)
47,531


1820





James Monroe (Democratic/Republican)

John Quincy Adams (Independent (no party))







1816





James Monroe (Democratic/Republican)

Rufus King (Federalist)







1812





James Madison (Democratic/Republican)

De Witt Clinton (Federalist)







1808





James Madison (Democratic/Republican)

Charles C. Pinckney (Federalist)







1804





Thomas Jefferson (Democratic/Republican)

Charles C. Pinckney (Federalist)







1800





Thomas Jefferson (Democratic/Republican)

Aaron Burr (Democratic/Republican)

John Adams (Federalist)




1796





John Adams (Federalist)

Thomas Jefferson (Democratic/Republican)

Thomas Pinckney (Federalist)




1792





George Washington (None)

John Adams (Federalist)

George Clinton (Federalist)




1789





George Washington (None) 38,818
John Adams (Federalist)

John Jay (Federalist)























1828 to 1916 (males only 21 and over) 256,592,003 181,123,038 0.71 75,468,965 0.294 84%
89,650,435 0.349
78,007,138 0.304

9,585,856 0.037 3,879,609 0.015
1920 to 1968 (women voters) 1,149,028,993 661,303,331 0.58 487,725,662 0.424 136%
359,761,655 0.313
277,300,316 0.241

19,401,652 0.017 3,609,144 0.003
1972 to 2008 (18 y/o) 1,860,299,580 989,710,247 0.53 870,589,333 0.468 171%
510,055,457 0.274
430,911,364 0.232

40,137,638 0.022 2,465,557 0.001
1908 to 2008 3,087,780,141 1,699,488,258 0.55 1,388,291,883 0.450 155%
892,918,659 0.289
727,292,113 0.236

64,036,849 0.021 2,084,468 0.001
1828 to 2008 3,265,920,576 1,832,136,616 0.56 1,433,783,960 0.439 149%
959,467,547 0.294
786,218,818 0.241

69,125,146 0.021 1,676,613 0.001