Millennial voter turnout doubled from 2014 to 2018


Millennials are officially taking over the polls.
They, along with Generation X and Zers, turned out in higher numbers than Baby Boomers and older generations in 2018's midterms, newly available Census Bureau data reveals. That same trend showed up in 2016's presidential election, but 2018 marks the first time Gen Xers and younger outvoted their elders in a midterm, Pew Research Center reports.
Boomers and older generations cast 60.1 million votes in 2018, while Gen Xers and younger cast 62.2 million, the census data shows. But mortality among older Americans isn't purely responsible for that shift. Turnout among eligible Baby Boomer voters actually reached its highest ever portion — 64 percent — in 2018, while the older Silent Generation also saw a five percent jump from 2014 to 2018.
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.
Still, it's Gen Xers and especially Millennials who are starting to make the biggest dent. Gen X turnout jumped from 38 to 55 percent, while Millennial turnout nearly doubled from 22 to 42 percent from 2014 to 2018, Pew notes. Gen Zers also entered the picture for the first time, with 30 percent of eligible voters reporting they went to the polls. They're expect to make up 10 percent of the electorate by the time the 2020 election rolls around, and with younger voters tending to skew Democratic, their addition might be enough to turn the White House blue.
Check out more 2018 voter data at Pew Research Center.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
September 27 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include Donald Trump and the rapture that wasn't
-
Sarah Ferguson: a reputation in tatters
In the Spotlight After emails surfaced revealing ties to Jeffrey Epstein, weeks after she claimed to cut contact, her charities are running for the hills
-
Sudoku medium: September 27, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Trump declares new tariffs on drugs, trucks, furniture
Speed Read He's putting tariffs of 25% on semi trucks, 30% on upholstered furniture, 50% on kitchen and bathroom cabinetry and 100% on certain drugs
-
Amazon reaches ‘historic’ $2.5B Prime settlement
speed read The company allegedly tricked customers into signing up for Prime membership that was then difficult to cancel
-
Trump DOJ indicts Comey, longtime Trump target
Speed Read The president is using the Justice Department to prosecute his political enemies
-
Gunman kills 1 detainee, wounds 2 at ICE facility
Speed Read A sniper shot three detainees at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office before fatally shooting himself
-
Trump DOJ reportedly rushing to indict Comey
Speed Read Former FBI Director James Comey oversaw the initial 2016 investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia
-
Man convicted of trying to assassinate Trump
Speed Read Ryan Routh tried to shoot President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course last September
-
Democrat wins Arizona seat, aiding Epstein drive
Speed Read Democrat Adelita Grijalva beat Republican businessman Daniel Butierez for the House seat in Arizona
-
Trump says Ukraine can win, UN nations ‘going to hell’
Speed Read In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly, the president criticized the UN and renewable energy, plus made a sudden pivot on the war in Ukraine