May 4 (UPI) — Over half of eligible Americans, including 55 percent of women, voted in the 2018 midterm elections, the Pew Research Center reported Friday.
The analysis of newly released U.S. Census data added that 51.8 percent of eligible men also voted. The 3.2 percent gender difference compares to the 2.2 percent gap in 2014.
The change in the voter turnout was most evident among young voters. In 2018, 32.4 percent of eligible voters under 25 participated in the election, compared to 17.1 percent in 2014.
Participation by voters 25 to 34 rose from 27.6 percent in 2014 to 42.1 percent in 2018, and turnout among those 35 to 44 rose to 51 percent in 2018 from 37.8 percent in 2014. Those 55 to 64 increased their turnout rate by 7.8 percentage points, and the most reliable midterm voters, those 65 and older, participated at a 66.1 percent level in 2018, up from 59.4 percent in 2014.
Younger female voters outnumbered younger male voters in 2018, with 35.3 percent of women participating, compared to 29.5 percent of eligible men. Women outnumbered men at the polls in all categories except in voters 65 and older, with 67.9 percent of men and 64.7 percent of women voting.
