If you just look at the headlines, you might think America’s elections are spinning out of control.
But take a closer look at the newly released 2024 Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS), and you’ll find some surprising – and encouraging – details buried in the fine print.
This report, published by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), gives us the most complete picture of how the 2024 election was run: who voted, how they voted, and what’s happening behind the scenes to keep elections running.
Turnout Took a Dip – But Not a Dive
Roughly 64.7% of eligible voting-age citizens cast a ballot in the 2024 general election.
That’s down from the 67.7% turnout in 2020, but still higher than in 2016. In raw numbers, more than 158 million people voted.
Yes, turnout was lower. But it’s still the second-highest turnout in the last five presidential elections.
That tells us Americans still care deeply about elections, despite all the noise.
How We Voted: Back to the Booths
In-person voting came roaring back after the COVID pandemic. According to the EAVS:
- 37.4% voted on Election Day
- 35.2% voted early in person
- 30.3% voted by mail
That’s a big shift from 2020, when nearly 43% of ballots came in the mail.
In 2024, voters clearly preferred to show up at polling places again – proof that expanded mail-in voting may have been a pandemic-era blip, not a permanent change.
Ballot Drop Boxes Still Popular – And Growing
Even though vote-by-mail declined, ballot drop boxes aren’t going away.
In the 36 states that offered them, nearly 15 million ballots were returned this way.
What’s more, the use of drop boxes increased by nearly 10 percentage points in states that had them in both 2022 and 2024.
Critics argue drop boxes are vulnerable to fraud. But supporters say they’re convenient and secure.
The real question is whether states are taking steps to verify and monitor them – something lawmakers will need to keep an eye on.
Cleaning Up the Voter Rolls
Here’s a number that should catch your attention: over 21 million voter records were removed between 2022 and 2024.
Why?
Most were for routine reasons: people moved, died, or failed to respond to mailers and hadn’t voted in two straight elections.
That’s how list maintenance is supposed to work.
Yet many states are still dragging their feet – hello, Nevada! – or failing to follow best practices.
Keeping the voter rolls clean shouldn’t be controversial. It’s just common sense.
Poll Workers: Older, But Easier to Find
For years, counties have struggled to recruit poll workers. That changed in 2020 and continued into 2024.
The report says finding poll workers is actually getting easier – a welcome trend.
Still, more than half of 2024’s poll workers were 61 years or older, so long-term recruitment remains an issue.
What About Election Security?
The report shows that nearly every voting system in America now produces a paper trail.
That includes ballot scanners, ballot marking devices, and even some touchscreen machines with a voter-verified paper audit trail.
Only a tiny fraction of systems – mostly old machines – don’t have a paper record anymore. That’s a huge win for election integrity.
Also, more counties than ever are using electronic poll books, which help check in voters faster and reduce human error.
What the Critics Say
Some on the left point to lower turnout and fewer mail ballots as a “step backward.” They argue that restricting universal mail voting makes it harder for some to vote.
Meanwhile, critics on the right worry that mail-in ballots and drop boxes are still ripe for abuse, and want tighter security.
Both sides agree: We want secure, fair, and efficient elections. The EAVS report shows we’re mostly heading in that direction – but there’s still work to do.
America’s election system isn’t perfect. But based on the EAVS 2024 report, it’s not the complete disaster many claim, either.
Voter turnout is strong. In-person voting is back.
As citizens, we should demand more transparency, cleaner rolls, better training – and consequences when the system fails.
But let’s also recognize what’s working and build on that.
Because when Americans have confidence in their elections, everything else in our democracy works better.
This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
