• Home
  • Opinion
  • Quizzes
  • Redistricting
  • Sections
  • About Us
  • Voting
  • Events
  • Civic Ed
  • Campaign Finance
  • Directory
  • Election Dissection
  • Fact Check
  • Glossary
  • Independent Voter News
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Subscriptions
  • Log in
Leveraging Our Differences
  • news & opinion
    • Big Picture
      • Civic Ed
      • Ethics
      • Leadership
      • Leveraging big ideas
      • Media
    • Business & Democracy
      • Corporate Responsibility
      • Impact Investment
      • Innovation & Incubation
      • Small Businesses
      • Stakeholder Capitalism
    • Elections
      • Campaign Finance
      • Independent Voter News
      • Redistricting
      • Voting
    • Government
      • Balance of Power
      • Budgeting
      • Congress
      • Judicial
      • Local
      • State
      • White House
    • Justice
      • Accountability
      • Anti-corruption
      • Budget equity
    • Columns
      • Beyond Right and Left
      • Civic Soul
      • Congress at a Crossroads
      • Cross-Partisan Visions
      • Democracy Pie
      • Our Freedom
  • Pop Culture
      • American Heroes
      • Ask Joe
      • Celebrity News
      • Comedy
      • Dance, Theatre & Film
      • Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
      • Faithful & Mindful Living
      • Music, Poetry & Arts
      • Sports
      • Technology
      • Your Take
      • American Heroes
      • Ask Joe
      • Celebrity News
      • Comedy
      • Dance, Theatre & Film
      • Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
      • Faithful & Mindful Living
      • Music, Poetry & Arts
      • Sports
      • Technology
      • Your Take
  • events
  • About
      • Mission
      • Advisory Board
      • Staff
      • Contact Us
Sign Up
  1. Home>
  2. Voting>
  3. voter registration>

The 5 states with the biggest (and smallest) increases in voter registration

Sara Swann
https://twitter.com/saramswann?lang=en
August 20, 2021
Voter registration table

Washington, D.C., saw the nation's biggest increase in voter registration from 2016 to 2020.

Caroline Brehman/Getty Images

Despite the coronavirus pandemic throwing election administrators and voters for a loop in 2020, nearly every state reported increases in the number of registered voters compared to the previous presidential contest. A few grew their voter rolls by more than 20 percent.

Overall, the United States added nearly 14 million voters to the rolls, a 6.5 percent bump from 2016. Forty-nine states and the District of Columbia reported their voter registration data to the Election Assistance Commission, which released the numbers in its post-election report this week. (North Dakota does not require voter registration.)

Thirty-two states and D.C. reported registration rates higher than the national average, while 18 states fell below that mark.


These states (and D.C.) saw the biggest increases in registered voters from 2016 to 2020:

  • District of Columbia, 27 percent
  • South Carolina, 22 percent
  • Nevada, 21 percent
  • Utah, 18 percent
  • Texas, 18 percent

But some states saw minimal growth, or even declines, in voter registration:

    • New York, -16 percent
    • Indiana, -3 percent
    • Iowa, 1 percent
    • Louisiana, 1 percent
    • West Virginia, 1 percent
    From Your Site Articles
    • Report: Digital election tools gained popularity in 2020 - The Fulcrum ›
    • Report: mail voting increased but ballot rejections did not - The ... ›
    • How voting has changed in the 5 most populous states - The Fulcrum ›
    • The rising impact of the Hispanic electorate - The Fulcrum ›
    • South Dakota to offer automatic voter registration - The Fulcrum ›
    • Campaign aims to engage 1 million Latino voters in 4 states - The Fulcrum ›
    • Voter registration is up among young people compared to 2018 - The Fulcrum ›
    Related Articles Around the Web
    • Black, Latino, Asian adults key to Georgia registered voter increase ... ›
    • Five Weeks Away: Youth Voter Registration Up from 2016 but ... ›
    • Automatic Voter Registration Spurs Big Gains In Voter Rolls Ahead ... ›
    voter registration

    Want to write
    for The Fulcrum?

    If you have something to say about ways to protect or repair our American democracy, we want to hear from you.

    Submit
    Get some Leverage Sign up for The Fulcrum Newsletter
    Follow
    Contributors

    Reform in 2023: Leadership worth celebrating

    Layla Zaidane

    Two technology balancing acts

    Dave Anderson

    Reform in 2023: It’s time for the civil rights community to embrace independent voters

    Jeremy Gruber

    Congress’ fix to presidential votes lights the way for broader election reform

    Kevin Johnson

    Democrats and Republicans want the status quo, but we need to move Forward

    Christine Todd Whitman

    Reform in 2023: Building a beacon of hope in Boston

    Henry Santana
    Jerren Chang
    latest News

    Ask Joe: The hope for a new global unity

    Joe Weston
    24 March

    Using bridging tools to improve workplace productivity and retention

    Joan Blades
    24 March

    Podcast: Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other: Barbara McQuade

    Our Staff
    24 March

    Political brain fog

    Lawrence Goldstone
    23 March

    Sounding the alarm over TDS

    Lynn Schmidt
    23 March

    Podcast: Redefining conservatism for millennials

    Our Staff
    23 March
    Videos

    Video: Ted Lasso cast at the White House press briefing

    Our Staff

    Video: The hidden stories in the U.S. Census

    Our Staff

    Video: We asked conservatives at CPAC what woke means

    Our Staff

    Video: DeSantis, 18 states to push back against Biden ESG agenda

    Our Staff

    Video: A conversation with Tiahna Pantovich

    Our Staff

    Video: What would happen if Trump was a third-party candidate in 2024?

    Our Staff
    Podcasts

    Podcast: Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other: Barbara McQuade

    Our Staff
    24 March

    Podcast: Redefining conservatism for millennials

    Our Staff
    23 March

    Podcast: Break out of your bubble: Talk to a stranger

    Our Staff
    22 March

    Podcast: Inequitable ability: Electoral and civic challenges faced by those with disabilities

    Our Staff
    21 March
    Recommended
    Video: Ted Lasso cast at the White House press briefing

    Video: Ted Lasso cast at the White House press briefing

    Comedy
    Ask Joe: The hope for a new global unity

    Ask Joe: The hope for a new global unity

    Pop Culture
    Using bridging tools to improve workplace productivity and retention

    Using bridging tools to improve workplace productivity and retention

    Big Picture
    Podcast: Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other: Barbara McQuade

    Podcast: Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other: Barbara McQuade

    Podcasts
    Political brain fog

    Political brain fog

    Big Picture
    Sounding the alarm over TDS

    Sounding the alarm over TDS

    Threats to democracy