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POLITICS

Do Voters Always Head To The Polls in Midterm Elections?

Midterm elections usually draw a lower voter turnout. But most voters surveyed by Rasmussen Reports say they always cast a ballot in a midterm election. 

The latest national telephone and online survey finds that 70% of Likely U.S. Voters say, when it comes to Congressional midterm elections, they always vote. Twenty-four percent (24%) say they sometimes vote in these elections, while only two percent (2%) say they never vote. Four percent (4%) will vote in the upcoming election for the first time. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

In June, 62% of voters said they were more likely to vote this year. Only six percent (6%) said they were less likely to do so this year. 

Seventy-seven percent (77%) of Republicans say they always vote in midterm elections, as do 71% of Democrats and 63% of voters not affiliated with either major political party.

This survey question was inspired by Full Measure News Investigative Correspondent Sharyl Attkisson, who originally ran a slightly different version of it as a Twitter poll. The results of that non-scientific poll are here.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely U.S. Voters was conducted on October 29-30, 2018 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Democrats remain three points ahead of Republicans on the Generic Congressional Ballot

Older voters are more likely to say they always vote in midterm election voters than voters ages 18 to 39.

White voters are more inclined to vote in these elections than black voters and those of other ethnic groups.

Roughly the same amount of men (72%) and women (68%) say they always vote when it comes to Congressional midterm elections.

Health care is a major factor when it comes to whom all voters will choose at the ballot this midterm election.

Most voters are turning to the news to get information about candidates, but some still turn to other sources. 

While almost half of voters have watched at least one candidate debate this midterm election season, they’re split on whether those debates carry any value for them.

As voters get ready to head to the polls in the upcoming elections, voters are much more confident in Congress these days on the heels of the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation than they have been in more than a year.

Republicans are madder about the Kavanaugh controversy than Democrats are and more determined to vote in the upcoming elections because of it.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.

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The survey of 1,000 Likely U.S. Voters was conducted on October 29-30, 2018 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Rasmussen Reports is a media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion information.

We conduct public opinion polls on a variety of topics to inform our audience on events in the news and other topics of interest. To ensure editorial control and independence, we pay for the polls ourselves and generate revenue through the sale of subscriptions, sponsorships, and advertising. Nightly polling on politics, business and lifestyle topics provides the content to update the Rasmussen Reports web site many times each day. If it's in the news, it's in our polls. Additionally, the data drives a daily update newsletter and various media outlets across the country.

Some information, including the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll and commentaries are available for free to the general public. Subscriptions are available for $4.95 a month or 34.95 a year that provide subscribers with exclusive access to more than 20 stories per week on upcoming elections, consumer confidence, and issues that affect us all. For those who are really into the numbers, Platinum Members can review demographic crosstabs and a full history of our data.

To learn more about our methodology, click here.