Polygraph

Voter turnout in the 2022 midterm elections was lower than in the 2020 and 2024 presidential elections.

Posted by Consider This from NPR, Checked

Polygraph verdictTrue
Sources
5 support1 context
Said
1 time·
Confidence
93%
Consider This from NPRAug 28, 2026
View on Podcast ↗
Video frame
13 claimsThe check →

Multiple independent reliable sources show 2022 midterm turnout (roughly 45–52% depending on measure) was well below the 2020 presidential turnout (about 65–66% of eligible voters) and the 2024 presidential turnout (about 63–65%). The extracted claim is a faithful paraphrase of the post's statement that 2022 lagged behind 2020 and 2024.

What was said

… I just feel the So, regardless of whether or not any of these these things material lies, it is taking a toll on votes. You know, it's worth noting, Juana, that midterm elections are already much lower turnout elections than presidential. 2022, for instance, lagged way behind twenty twenty and twenty twenty-four in terms of turnout. So there's a risk that these sort of ambiguous worries kind of amplify that effect. And, Eric, Republicans are in control of both chambers of Congress, and they control what comes up for a vote. …
Consider This from NPR · · from the transcriptPost →

What we found

Supports. The EAC's 2022 EAVS report says 2022 midterm turnout fell about 5% from the previous midterm, with 46.8% of the citizen voting-age population voting, which is well below presidential-year turnout.[1]

Supports. UCSB presidential turnout data puts 2020 at 65.3% of the voting-eligible population and 2024 at 63.1%, both far above the 2022 midterm rate.[2]

Supports. Pew reports 2020 turnout at 66% and 2024 at 64%, among the highest in a century, while The Hill puts 2022 midterm turnout at about 45%, a sharp gap from both presidential years.[5][6]

Supports. MIT Election Lab notes that midterm (off-year) turnout is typically much lower than presidential-year turnout, consistent with 2022 trailing both 2020 and 2024.[3]

Context. The Census Bureau's 2022 report compares 2022 turnout (52.2% of registered-population measure) with 2018 rather than 2020 or 2024, so it does not directly test the comparison but its figures are consistent with the claim.[4]

Sources

6 sources: 4 primary, 1 tier 1, 1 not rated

  1. 1Nation’s Most Comprehensive Report on 2022 Midterm Election ...eac.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
  2. 2Voter Turnout in Presidential Electionspresidency.ucsb.edu · primary source · cited for: supports
  3. 3Voter turnout - MIT Election Labelectionlab.mit.edu · primary source · cited for: supports
  4. 4Census Bureau Releases 2022 Congressional Election Voting Reportcensus.gov · primary source · cited for: context
  5. 5Trump is turning out Democrats, but can he still do it for the ...thehill.com · tier 1 · cited for: supports
  6. 61. Voter turnout, 2020-2024 - Pew Research Centerpewresearch.org · not rated · cited for: supports

Where this claim was made

Said in 1 published post

How Polygraph checks a claim

Our Weekly Newsletter

The Readout

The week's most-shared posts, checked. What they claimed, how they argued, and what held up.

Unsubscribe any time. See our privacy policy.