Voter interest is at a record low for tonight's midterms


Despite tonight's midterm elections being the most expensive in American history, voter interest is at a record low.
Though the GOP expects wins in both the House and the Senate, some Senate races are likely to be too close to call. Voters are deeply divided about what President Obama should do during his final two years in office, and surveys have shown that voter interest is much lower than it was in the elections four years ago.
An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found that 58 percent of Republicans were interested in the midterm campaigns, as were 57 percent of Democrats, as of late October. But at the same time in 2010, 70 percent of Republicans were interested, and two-thirds of Democrats were interested in 2006.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The New York Times predicts likely runoffs in Georgia and Louisiana's Senate races, and late vote counts in Alaska, Colorado, and Iowa. Uncertainty about the midterms, according to the Times, is "a fitting match for the mood of the nation," as concerns about the economy, ISIS, and Ebola reach a fever pitch. Both parties "have done little to inspire the electorate," the Times notes, with both Republicans and Democrats lacking defined platforms.
Whatever the outcome of tonight's events, the Times says, it is "not likely to result in a drastic change of policy." Obama will still defend his health care law, and Republicans will either compromise or work against him.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
-
How China is battling the chikungunya virus
Under The Radar Thousands of cases of the debilitating disease have been found in the country
-
Deep thoughts: AI shows its math chops
Feature Google's Gemini is the first AI system to win gold at the International Mathematical Olympiad
-
Book reviews: 'Face With Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji' and 'Blood Harmony: The Everly Brothers Story'
Feature The surprising history of emojis and the brother duo who changed pop music
-
Trump picks conservative BLS critic to lead BLS
speed read He has nominated the Heritage Foundation's E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics
-
Trump takes over DC police, deploys National Guard
Speed Read The president blames the takeover on rising crime, though official figures contradict this concern
-
Trump sends FBI to patrol DC, despite falling crime
Speed Read Washington, D.C., 'has become one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the world,' Trump said
-
Trump officials reinstating 2 Confederate monuments
Speed Read The administration has plans to 'restore Confederate names and symbols' discarded in the wake of George Floyd's 2020 murder
-
Trump nominates Powell critic for vacant Fed seat
speed read Stephen Miran, the chair of Trump's Council of Economic Advisers and a fellow critic of Fed chair Jerome Powell, has been nominated to fill a seat on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors
-
ICE scraps age limits amid hiring push
Speed Read Anyone 18 or older can now apply to be an ICE agent
-
Trump's global tariffs take effect, with new additions
Speed Read Tariffs on more than 90 US trading partners went into effect, escalating the global trade war
-
House committee subpoenas Epstein files
Speed Read The House Oversight Committee has issued a subpoena to the Justice Department for its Jeffrey Epstein files with an Aug. 19 deadline