The State of Maine Democracy

CHAPTER TWO VOTER AND CIVIC PARTICIPATION KEY METRICS Indicator #1 | Maine’s Voter Turnout Maine’s turnout in 2016 was 71.3%, in line with average turnout in Maine for prior Presidential elections. The election in 2018 saw a sharp uptick from the expected 60% typical of midterm elections, with 65.6% of registered voters participating. This increase mirrored trends across the country. In 2020, the general election drew 76.3% of the electorate.

Indicator #2 | States with the Highest Voter Turnout Maine has consistently been in the top 10% of states in terms of voter turnout over the last 20 years. In the 2020 general election, Maine’s turnout of 76.3% was third highest in the nation. Maine’s turnout trends are in line with the other high-turnout states.

Indicator #3 | Voter Turnout in Maine by Gender Women are generally slightly more likely to vote than men. This is more noticeable in high-salience elections, meaning that women’s voting behavior fluctuates more overall.

The 2020 election was an exception: turnout by gender was equal.

Indicator #4 | Voter Turnout in Maine by Age Historically, people have consistently been more likely to vote as they age. In contrast, in 2020, the youngest age group (18-24) voted at nearly the same rate (77.8%) as the oldest (65+) (78.5%). This unusual increase in youth voting held true across the nation.

The difference between the 20-year average and the 2020 participation rate is striking; voter turnout among 18-24 year olds was at least 20 percentage points higher than expected.

Indicator #5 | Correlation Between Racial Makeup and Voter Participation by District Voting data for individuals by race is unavailable for Maine. Voter participation is lowest in districts with the lowest percentage of white voters; this correlation is strong, but it is important to note that race is also highly correlated with poverty, making it difficult to attribute these voter turnout differences to race alone. (Chapter 3 discusses this in more detail.)

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