In California, the voter turnout in the November 2024 election – estimated at 71% of registered voters – is the third lowest in the last 100 years of presidential elections.

Nationwide, more than 4 million fewer people voted in the 2024 General election than in 2020, according to multiple estimates. The California Secretary of State reports that more than 1.5 million of these no-shows were in California.

The final results from 2024 are expected to show Donald Trump winning the presidency over Kamala Harris by about 2 million votes. He lost the popular vote in 2020 by nearly 7 million.

State election officials reported that 14,425,857 votes had been counted as Wednesday evening, with another estimated 1.66 million to count.

The expected final vote total in California, 16,084,660, would represent 71.2% of the state’s 22,595,659 registered voters. The number of registered voters in the state grew in this election cycle by nearly 550,000.

The only presidential elections that resulted in a lower turnout of California voters were: In 2000, when Texas Gov. George W. Bush defeated Vice President Al Gore, 70.9% of registered voters cast ballots; and in 1996 when 65.6% cast ballots in President Bill Clinton’s successful re-election campaign against Sen. Bob Dole.

The 2024 turnout estimates are even lower than the 71.9% reported in 1920, according to the California Secretary of State.

This year’s total marks a dramatic drop in turnout from 2020, when 80.7% of the state’s registered voters cast ballots for president, the biggest turnout percentage in 40 years, according to the state.