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View in Your Browser Who turns out for midterms? Every four years, a pattern repeats: fewer Americans vote in the midterm elections than did in the presidential race before it. It’s a pattern that’s persisted for decades. However, turnout during the November 2022 midterm was higher than it had been for much of the past four decades. Only 2018’s was higher. Turnout varies by age. People between the ages of 18 and 24 have the largest drop in turnout in the midterms. In the 2020 presidential election, 51.4% of young adults reported voting, compared with 27.6% in 2022. Their rate was back to a reported 47.7% by 2024. Meanwhile, people 65 and older reported voting at rates of 74.5% in 2020 and 66.8% in 2022. Their reported rate during the 2024 presidential election was slightly higher than four years earlier: 74.7%. The smallest drops between the 2020 presidential and 2022 midterm turnout were in Michigan and Oregon, both down 4 percentage points. New Jersey had the largest drop, with reported turnout falling 28 percentage points between the presidential and midterm elections. Voter turnout was highest in Washington, DC, in both the 2020 and 2024 presidential elections, but it still dropped by 21 percentage points in the midterm. Even groups that vote at high rates in general vote less midterm season. Naturalized US citizens born in Canada or Greenland vote at higher rates even than native-born Americans—but their midterm turnout still dropped by 15 percentage points. Veterans reported being more likely to vote than civilians in presidential elections and midterms. People who have never been married are less likely to vote in midterms than people who have. See the data How long does it take to change the Constitution? The first 10 amendments, the Bill of Rights, were ratified together on December 15, 1791. The next 17 amendments were ratified in clusters rather than a steady trickle, and there were long stretches without any changes. The 26th Amendment, which established the national voting age at 18, moved fastest: 100 days from proposal to ratification. You can now read about these changes to the Constitution, and the data behind them, on our site. State ratification is the final step in amending the Constitution and requires approval from three-fourths of the states. When the Bill of Rights was passed, that meant 11 of 14 existing states at the time. By the 27th Amendment, it meant 38 of 50. Congress proposed the 26th Amendment on March 23, 1971. North Carolina became the 38th state to approve it on July 1, 1971, completing ratification. Others took longer. Far longer. States ratified the 27th Amendment, on congressional pay, in 1992 — nearly 203 years after it was introduced in 1789. The amendment mandates that any changes Congress makes to its own pay cannot take effect until an election has happened and the next class of representatives has been sworn in. Theoretically, it's to prevent the House from giving itself a pay raise. The 19th Amendment barred denying the vote based on sex in 1920. Men registered and voted at higher rates than women until 1980. Women have led both measures in every presidential election since. In 2024, 68.3% of women were registered compared with 65.1% of men. The Supreme Court cited the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of birthright citizenship to strike down laws as unconstitutional in 378 cases up through 2021. See the data Crash Course: Why does the US have two major parties? The next USAFacts + Crash Course video on the US government is now live! Watch Why does the US only have two major parties? and explore why it feels like the country doesn’t stray from a decades-old system. Data behind the news In late September, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rate surpassed 7% for the first time in 20 months. It sat at 7.28% as of October 1. See how many people in your state spend too much on housing. Hackers recently stole the personal data of thousands of current and former FBI emp