Registration/Turnout Reports

Summary of Virginia Registration & Turnout Statistics

The Department of Elections only publishes turnout statistics for November Elections and turnout figures are only published after the election is certified.

November General Elections: 1976 – Present
Year	Total Registered	Percentage Change from Previous Year	Total Voting	Turnout (% Voting of Total Registered)	Voting Absentee (Included in Total Voting)
2023	6,119,552	-0.21%	2,507,159	40.96%	826,174
2022	6,132,331	2.89%	3,021,956	49.28%	992,227
2021	5,959,692	-.02%	3,276,572	54.9%	1,183,280
2020	5,975,696	6.18%	4,486,821	75.08%	2,687,304
2019	5,628,035	-1.0%	2,383,646	42.4%	144,360
2018	5,666,962	3.31%	3,374,382	59.5%	337,315
2017	5,489,530	-0.73%	2,612,309	47.6%	192,397
2016	5,529,742	6.41%	3,984,631	72.05%	566,948
2015	5,196,436	-1.60%	1,509,864	29.1%	62,605
2014	5,281,011	0.78%	2,194,346	41.6%	123,221
2013	5,240,286	-3.5%	2,253,418	43.0%	121,359
2012	5,428,833	6.1%	3,858,043	71.06%	447,907
2011	5,116,929	1.68%	1,463,761	28.61%	59,519
2010	5,032,144	1.54%	2,214,503	44.01%	106,888
2009	4,955,750	-1.57%	2,000,812	40.4%	88,182
2008	5,034,660	10.7%	3,723,260	74.0%	506,672
2007	4,549,864	- 0.1%	1,374,526	30.2%	30,619
2006	4,554,683	2.3%	2,398,589	52.7%	116,629
2005	4,452,225	- 1.5%	2,000,052	44.92%	75,982
2004	4,517,980	7.1%	3,198,367	70.79%	222,059
2003	4,217,227	- 0.1%	1,296,955	30.8%	35,716
2002	4,219,957	2.7%	1,331,915	31.56%	44,493
2001	4,109,127	0.9%	1,905,511	46.4%	52,344
2000	4,073,644	7.0%	2,739,447	67.2%	150,414
1999	3,808,754	2.3%	1,373,527	36.1%	10,686
1998	3,724,683	4.5%	1,229,139	33.0%	31,494
1997	3,565,697	7.3%	1,764,476	49.5%	47,571
1996*	3,322,740	9.4%	2,416,642	72.7%	116,606
1995	3,038,394	1.3%	1,585,783	52.2%	45,785
1994	3,000,560	0.9%	2,078,106	69.3%	81,636
1993	2,975,121	-2.6%**	1,817,777	61.1%	53,904
1992	3,055,486	9.4%	2,558,665	83.7%	141,123
1991	2,791,747	2.1%	1,371,940	49.1%	***
1990	2,735,339	-0.1%	1,252,971	45.8%	25,785
1989	2,737,340	-4.9%**	1,821,242	66.5%	54,177
1988	2,877,144	8.3%	2,231,876	77.6%	108,237
1987	2,657,412	1.8%	1,571,110	59.1%	38,505
1986	2,609,698	0.5%	1,115,179	42.7%	22,589
1985	2,597,904	-2.9%**	1,377,966	53.0%	32,943
1984	2,675,641	14.8%	2,180,515	81.5%	113,686
1983	2,330,595	4.3%	1,178,707	50.6%	***
1982	2,234,011	0.9%	1,454,628	65.1%	32,340
1981	2,214,926	-4.1%**	1,437,382	64.90%	30,584
1980	2,309,181	12.6%	1,881,648	81.49%	84,811
1979	2,050,499	1.2%	1,059,158	51.65%	***
1978	2,026,515	0.2%	1,251,471	61.75%	26,989
1977	2,022,619	-4.8%**	1,267,208	62.7%	29,970
1976	2,123,849		1,716,182	80.8%	***

SOURCE: COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA , OFFICIAL ELECTION RESULTS, STATEWIDE TURNOUT NUMBERS REPORT, COMPILED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF ELECTIONS

Voter Turnout by Election

CSV documents

* The National Voter Registration Act (“Motor Voter”) was implemented in Virginia beginning in March 1996. This Act allowed voter registration forms to be submitted through Department of Motor Vehicles offices and other designated agencies, or to be submitted by mail. Prior to NVRA, most applicants had to appear in person, before a registrar, in order to register. (Uniformed and Overseas voters were exempt from the in-person registration requirement.)

** Prior to implementation of the National Voter Registration Act (“Motor Voter”) in March 1996, any Virginia voter who had not voted in four years was removed from the voting rolls (“purged”). Significant purges after presidential elections (of voters who had registered for the previous presidential election but did not vote in the next one) were the norm. “Purges” of non-voters no longer occur. Now, under federal and state laws, a voter who appears to have moved from their residence of registration, but has not responded to a request to confirm their residence, is maintained on the voter lists as “inactive” through the next two federal elections. “Inactive” voters are eligible to vote if they re-register, or if they appear at the polls (or apply to vote absentee) and confirm that they have not moved (or have moved, but within the same locality and congressional district). If they do not reactivate their registrations, they are removed from the rolls after two federal elections have passed. The total number registered voters, in the chart above, includes active, inactive and overseas voters. (You may see these voters broken out into separate categories in other registration reports.)

*** Absentee turnout was not reported separately for this election.