The Most (And Least) Politically Involved States, According To A Recent Study

With the election looming here in under 100 days, l looked back at the 2016 numbers to see which states were the most and least politically engaged states. Thankfully, WalletHub has brought this information together. Let’s just say that some states are doing their active duty and some states that might need to step up their game. 

In order to make these rankings, they used 10 metrics to determine the order. The metrics are:

• Percentage of Registered Voters in the 2016 Presidential Election

• Percentage of Electorate Who Actually Voted in the 2014 Midterm Elections

• Change in Percentage of Electorate Who Actually Voted in the 2016 Elections Compared with the 2012 Elections

• Total Political Contributions per Adult Population

• Civic Education Engagement

• Percentage of Electorate Who Actually Voted in the 2016 Presidential Election

• Voter Accessibility Policies

• Preregistration for Young Voters Policies

• Volunteer Political Campaign Opportunities per Capita

• Percentage of Residents Who Participate in Civic Groups or Organizations.

Most politically engaged states

1. 1. District of Columbia

   2. Maine

   3. Utah

   4. Maryland

   5. Washington

   6. Wyoming

   7. Colorado

   8. Montana 

   9. Virginia

   10. Wisconsin

Least politically engaged states

1. 1. New Mexico

   2. Hawaii

   3. Alabama

   4. Indiana

   5. Tennessee

   6. Mississippi

   7. West Virginia

   8. New York

   9. Kentucky

   10. South Dakota

Want to know more? Here’s a few more interesting breakdowns, again, complements of WalletHub. 

States with most political engagement among Young Voters (Ages 18-24)

1. 1. Virginia

   2. Minnesota

   3. Maryland

   4. Kentucky

   5. Nebraska

   6. Pennsylvania

   7. North Carolina

   8. Louisiana

   9. Maine

   10. Colorado

States with most political engagement among Elderly Voters (Ages 65+)

1. 1. Maine

   2. Colorado

   3. Nebraska

   4. Montana

   5. Iowa

   6. Wisconsin

   7. Mississippi

   8. Washington

   9. Vermont

   10. Utah

Highest % of registered voters in the 2016 Election

1. 1. Maine

   2. Mississippi

   3. District of Columbia

   4. Wisconsin

   5. New Hampshire

Lowest % of Register Voters in the 2016 Election

1. 1. Hawaii

   2. California

   3. Texas

   4. New York

   5. New Mexico

Highest % of electorate who voted in 2014 Midterm Elections

1. 1. Maine

   2. Colorado

   3. Oregon

   4. Wisconsin

   5. Iowa

Lowest % of electorate who voted in 2014 Midterm Elections

1. 1. West Virginia

   2. Oklahoma

   3. New York

   4. Texas

   5. Indiana

Highest % of electorate who voted in 2016 Presidential Election

1. 1. District of Columbia

   2. Maine

   3. Wisconsin

   4. Colorado

   5. New Hampshire

Lowest % of electorate who voted in 2016 Presidential Election

1. 1. Hawaii

   2. West Virginia

   3. Tennessee

   4. New Mexico

   5. Texas

Largest % change in electorate who voted in 2016 Elections vs 2012 Elections

1. 1. Wyoming

   2. Utah

   3. Arkansas

   4. Nebraska

   5. Arizona

Smallest % change in electorate who voted in 2016 Elections vs 2012 Elections

1. 1. New Mexico

   2. Mississippi

   3. Iowa

   4. Delaware

   5. Louisiana

Highest total political contributions per adult population

1. 1. District of Columbia

   2. Virginia

   3. Montana

   4. Massachusetts

   5. New York

Lowest total political contributions per adult population

1. 1. South Carolina

   2. West Virginia

   3. Idaho

   4. Kentucky

   5. Mississippi