In the election of November 1994, 86 million persons reported that they had voted, representing 45 percent of the electorate 18 years and over. This turnout rate was unchanged from the previous mid-term election year in 1990.
Voter turnout for Whites 18 years and over was 47 percent, compared with 37 percent for Blacks and only 20 percent for persons of Hispanic origin. Asians voted at levels similar to Hispanics, recording a turnout rate of only 22 percent.
Historically, the Census Bureau has calculated voter rates on the basis of the total resident population, because estimates regarding citizenship status were not directly asked or consistently edited in prior surveys. Beginning with the 1994 survey, detailed questions on place of birth and citizenship status were asked as basic items on the survey.
Estimating turnout rates for the citizen population 18 years and over significantly increased voter turnout levels for Hispanics (34 percent) and doubled the rate for the Asian or Pacific Islander population to 39 percent. Overall, computing voter turnout rates for citizens only, instead of all residents, increased the level of voter turnout for the Nation as a whole from 45 to 48 percent.
The large increase in voter turnout previously noted for 18 to 24 year olds between the 1988 and 1992 Presidential elections was not evident between the 1990 and 1994 Congressional elections as only 1 out of every 5 young people reported voting in both elections.
There was no overall difference in voter turnout rates between men and women in the 1994 elections. Likewise, there was no difference in the turnout rates between men and women in the 45 to 64 year old age group (57 percent). However, women 18 to 44 years old reported slightly higher turnout rates than did men (36 percent versus 34 percent). But in 1994 as in previous Congressional elections, men 65 years old and over continued to report higher rates of voter turnout than women, 67 and 58 percent, respectively. This difference, however, was less than it was almost 30 years ago when in the 1966 election the gap was 14 percentage points in favor of men.
As in most surveys, persons tend to overreport their participation in the electoral process. Estimates provided by the Election Data Services indicate that 75 million persons voted in the November 1994 elections.

General User Notes

As in all surveys, the data in this release are subject to sampling variability and other sources of error, such as survey design flaws, respondent classification errors, and data processing mistakes. The Census Bureau has taken steps to minimize errors, and analytical statements have been tested and meet statistical standards. However, because of methodological differences, use caution when comparing these data with data from other sources.

All demographic surveys suffer from undercoverage of the population. This undercoverage results from missed housing units and missed persons within sample households. Compared to the level of the 1990 Decennial Census, overall CPS undercoverage is about 8 percent. Undercoverage varies with age, sex, and race. For some groups such as 20 to 29 year old Black males, the undercoverage is as high as 34 percent compared to the Census. The population controls that are used in this survey have been adjusted for undercount in the decennial census and partially correct for the bias due to undercoverage. However, the final impact of the weighting procedures used by the Census Bureau on the estimates is unknown. The estimates for data beginning in 1994 are based on population controls using results from the 1990 census brought forward to the survey date.

The information on the Hispanic population shown in this report was collected in the 50 states and the District of Columbia and does not include residents of Puerto Rico.

More detailed information on the design of this survey and problems associated with collecting voting statistics can be found in Current Population Reports, Series P20-466, "Voting and Registration in the Election of November 1992." Please consult this previous report for general information on the definitions and explanations used in this release.

Historical Tables

Note: Unless otherwise noted, all registration and voter turnout rates are for the total civilian noninstitutional population of the United States, including noncitizens.

Table 1. Percent Reported Voting and Registering in Congressional Election Years, by Race, Hispanic Origin, and Gender: November 1966 to 1994 [<1.0 MB]

Table 2. Percent Reported Voting and Registering in Congressional Election Years, by Age and Region of Residence: November 1966 to 1994 [<1.0 MB]

Table 3. Percent of Persons 18 to 24 Years Old Voting in Congressional Elections, by Race, and Hispanic Origin: November 1966 to 1994 [<1.0 MB]

Table 4. Percent of Persons 65 Years and Over Voting in Congressional Elections, by Race and Hispanic Origin: November 1966 to 1994 [<1.0 MB]

Table 5. Percent Reported Voted in Congressional Elections, by Age and Gender: November 1966 to 1994 [<1.0 MB]

Table 6. Percent Reported Voted in Congressional Elections, by Age and Race: November 1966 to 1994 [<1.0 MB]

Table 7. November 1966 Congressional Election: Voting and Registration [<1.0 MB]

Table 8. November 1970 Congressional Election: Voting and Registration [<1.0 MB]

Table 9. November 1974 Congressional Election: Voting and Registration [<1.0 MB]

Table 10. November 1978 Congressional Election: Voting and Registration [<1.0 MB]

Table 11. November 1982 Congressional Election: Voting and Registration [<1.0 MB]

Table 12. November 1986 Congressional Election: Voting and Registration [<1.0 MB]

Table 13. November 1990 Congressional Election: Voting and Registration [<1.0 MB]

Table 14. November 1994 Congressional Election: Voting and Registration [<1.0 MB]

Detailed Tables

Note: The tables in this section show voting and registration data for various socioeconomic groups for the total civilian noninstitutional population of the United States, including noncitizens. Because of the great size of the work tables, they are not shown in this menu but can be downloaded as a complete package or individually. Data are provided in each table to remove the noncitizen population from any statistical computation to permit the calculation of voting rates on a "citizen only" population base. All of the numbers shown in these tables are in thousands.

Table 1. Reported Voting and Registration, by Single Years of Age and Sex [<1.0 MB]

Table 2. Reported Voting and Registration, by Race, Hispanic Origin, Sex and Age for the United States and Regions [<1.0 MB]

Table 3. Reported Voting and Registration, by Race, Hispanic Origin, and Age, for Divisions [<1.0 MB]

Table 4. Reported Voting and Registration, by Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin, for States [<1.0 MB]

Table 4A. Reported Voting and Registration, by Race, Hispanic Origin, and Age, for States [<1.0 MB]

Table 4B. Reported Voting and Registration, by Sex and Age, for States [<1.0 MB]

Table 5. Reported Voting and Registration, by Race, Hispanic Origin, and Metropolitan-Nonmetropolitan Residence [<1.0 MB]

Table 6. Reported Voting and Registration of Persons 18 to 24 Years Old, by Race, Hispanic Origin, Sex, Age, and Enrollment Status [<1.0 MB]

Table 7. Reported Voting and Registration, by Age, Sex, and Years of School Completed [<1.0 MB]

Table 8. Reported Voting and Registration, by Race, Hispanic Origin, Sex, and Years of School Completed [<1.0 MB]

Table 9. Reported Voting and Registration, by Age, Sex, Employment Status, and Class of Worker [<1.0 MB]

Table 10. Reported Voting and Registration, by Race, Hispanic Origin, Sex, Employment Status, and Class of Worker [<1.0 MB]

Table 11. Reported Voting and Registration of Employed Persons, by Race, Hispanic Origin, Sex, and Major Occupation Group [<1.0 MB]

Table 12. Reported Voting and Registration of Family Members, by Age and Family Income [<1.0 MB]

Table 13. Reported Voting and Registration of Family Members, by Race, Hispanic Origin, and Family Income [<1.0 MB]

Table 14. Reported Voting and Registration, by Race, Hispanic Origin, Age, Duration of Residence, and Tenure [<1.0 MB]

Table 15. Reported Time of Day and Method of Voting, by Race, Hispanic Origin, Age, and Region of Residence [<1.0 MB]

Table 16. Reported Voting and Registration, by Race, Hispanic Origin, Sex, and Type of Respondent [<1.0 MB]

Table 17. Reported Voting and Registration, for Specified Race Groups by Selected Characteristics [<1.0 MB]

Voting Profile Tables

Note: Unless otherwise noted, all registration and voter turnout rates are for the total civilian noninstitutional population of the United States, including noncitizens.

Table 1. Characteristics of the Voting-Age Population Reported Having Registered or Voted: November 1994 [<1.0 MB]

Table 2. Percent of Persons 18 to 24 Years Old Reported Having Registered or Voted, by College Enrollment Status, Race, Hispanic Origin, and Gender: November 1994 [<1.0 MB]

Table 3. Percent of Population Voting by Citizenship Status and Selected Demographic Characteristics: November 1994 [<1.0 MB]