Categories: Results

Analysis: Ohio Voter Assessment – October 2022

Key Observations

• Ohio state currently has 8,010,523 voters on its voter rolls, with an almost even 50/50 split betweenvoters 50 years of age or older and voters under 50. As a corollary, total vote in any election tends to be comprised of a higher number of 50+ voters than younger voters, but especially in off year and primary elections. In Presidential years, the voting patterns are closer to the registration ratio. In primaryelections, however, the 50+ tend to comprise over 75% of all voters.

• Ohio has an open primary system, meaning that while a person needs to register to vote beforehand,he or she does not need to register with a political party in order to vote in that party’s primary. Under Ohio election law, voters declare their political party affiliation by requesting the ballot of a political party in a partisan primary election. Voters select their preferred party primary ballots at their polling places on Election Day, or when requesting an absentee ballot. Those not desiring to affiliate with a political party in Ohio are considered to be “Unaffiliated” voters.

• Over 69% of registered voters in Ohio are Unaffiliated voters, having not voted in a party primary and thus are not registered with any political party. These voters are substantially younger with only 39% being 50 years of age or older. Those who are affiliated with a political party, however, are overwhelmingly 50+ years of age (77% for Republicans and 71% for Democrats).

• This trend has significant impact to primary elections. In the August 2022 Primary for Ohio’s state legislature and political party leaders, 83% of the overall vote was comprised of Ohioans 50+. This votebroke down further with 86% of Republican voters and 77% of Democrats being 50+. When the scope iswidened to include those who voted in the May primary for US Congress and statewide offices, the ratios are similar with the 50+ comprising 77% of all voters, 79% of Republicans and 75% of Democrats

Voted in August 2022 Primary or Special

By Age

By Party

Voted in any 2022 Election (May or August)

By Age

By Party

Voted in the 2020 General Election

By Age

By Party

Voter Totals in General Elections Across Party and Age Groups

Years2018201920202021
Rep 50+957,416602,8081,019,910655,358
Rep <50263,554159,598339,855160,314
Dem 50+666,584435,691699,416443,385
Dem <50259,371152,199312,722142,578
Unaff 50+1,055,027306,6931,458,229280,571
Unaff <501,026,859272,2351,976,906228,967
Ubaid Khan

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