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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.