Does North Dakota lead the nation in low voter turnout?

While North Dakota’s voter turnout is often below the national average, it does not rank lowest in the country. 

In the 2022 midterm election, turnout in North Dakota was 41.7 percent compared to a national average of 46.2 percent. In the 2024 presidential election, 63.1 percent of North Dakota’s eligible voters participated, slightly behind the national average of 64.1 percent. 

However, several states regularly report lower turnout. Hawaii had the lowest voter turnout in the 2024 general election at about 50.3 %. Texas recorded the second-lowest turnout in the nation in 2024, and states such as Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Mississippi have also ranked below North Dakota in recent years. Over the long term, North Dakota’s average turnout of 55.4 percent is actually higher than the national average of 52.4 percent.