Washington, D.C. — Some people don’t participate in elections because they think a single vote won’t make a difference. A new report from the Center for American Progress aims to debunk this belief by showing how many key elections in recent history have been decided by a tiny number of votes.
The report, which comes ahead of National Voter Registration Day, also offers examples of the policy impacts made by a difference of just a few votes. The result offers a powerful argument for people to exercise their right to vote.
“Most Americans don’t realize how often just a handful of votes have made a dramatic difference in shaping history,” said Rebecca Mears, director of Democracy at CAP and co-author of the report. “These examples show how important every vote is in the direction the country takes—from access to affordable health care and abortion rights to foreign policy and the quality of the air we breathe.”
The report shows:
- How 312 votes cast in one state helped more than 40 million Americans access affordable health care
- How 321 votes cast in one state legislative race in Minnesota helped shape the state’s laws and gave Minnesotans abortion rights, bold action on climate change, voting rights, and commonsense firearm regulations
- How party control of the Virginia House of Delegates came down to a tie in one legislative race
The report also highlights eye-popping statistics that show how narrowly many federal and state elections have been decided:
- From 1976 to January 5, 2021, more than 85 U.S. Senate elections were decided by less than 3 percent of all votes cast.
- From 1976 to 2022, more than 410 U.S. House elections were decided by less than 3 percent of all votes cast.
- In 2016 alone, more than 340 state office elections were decided by fewer than 500 votes; of those, more than 85 were determined by fewer than 100 votes.
- While 158 million people voted in the 2020 presidential race, the election was ultimately decided by just 42,918 votes across three battleground states.
- While 137 million people voted in the 2016 presidential race, the election was decided by just 77,744 votes in three battleground states
Read the report: “The Power of One Vote: An Examination of Close Federal, State, and Local U.S. Elections and How Just a Few Votes Can Shape Policy” by Rebecca Mears and Zachary Geiger
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected].