Nearly 90 million Americans didn’t vote – which is more than the number of people who voted for Trump or Harris

The 2024 US presidential election had been widely characterized as one of the most consequential political contests in recent US history. Although turnout was high for a presidential election – almost matching the levels of 2020 – it is estimated that close to 90 million Americans, roughly 36% of the eligible voting age population, did not vote. This number is greater than the number of people who voted for either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.

More than a month on from polling day, eligible US voters from across the country as well as other parts of the world got in touch with the Guardian to share why they did not vote.

Scores of people said they had not turned out as they felt their vote would not matter because of the electoral college system, since they lived in a safely blue or red state. This included a number of people who nonetheless had voted in the 2020 and 2016 elections.

While various previous Democratic voters said they had abstained this time due to the Harris campaign’s stance on Israel or for other policy reasons, a number of people in this camp said they would have voted for the vice-president had they lived in a swing state.

  • @givesomefucksEnglish
    29•9 hours ago

    “What is the point [of voting]?,” he asked. “Aside from a handful of weaponized issues, the parties are nearly identical. They both hate the poor and serve only their donors.”

    We can yell at them that the handful of issues should matter enough, or we could actually try to get a popular candidate past the party itself and I to the general.

    But shit isn’t going to change until we all admit the DNC isn’t automatically on our side. I’m more hopeful than I should be for the DNC election in February, but I’m ready to be disappointed.

    • @makyoEnglish
      8•7 hours ago

      I really wish we had a unified left because there are enough of us to make a serious push to take over the party, but we’re too interested in bickering amongst ourselves

      • @Cosmonauticus
        3•4 hours ago

        to make a serious push to take over the party

        No theres not. This is the effect of the lemmy echo chamber. America is A LOT more conservative than ppl here like to admit. The actual left of the Democratic party are ppl like Bernie and AOC and they’re definitely not celebrated inside the DNC

        too interested in bickering amongst ourselves

        That’s because three Democratic party is a coalition of liberals and conservatives

      • @TrickDacy
        2•5 hours ago

        Surprised not to see some self-unaware someone arguing that this position is somehow too far to the right or something