Donald Trump politics seen as reason for increase in voters turnout

If Donald Trump has one undisputable achievement during the first two years of his presidency, it’s that he has succeeded in increasing the political engagement of a large share of the American public.

Preliminary figures for nationwide turnout in the 2018 mid-term elections are in, and they’ve reached a mark not seen in more than a century. Across the US, 49.2% of the voting age public cast ballots. In 2014 that number was 37%, and the average over the last few decades has hovered around 40%.

The last time turnout for a mid-term topped 50% was 1914 – before women had the vote in the US.

In some states, the numbers were even higher. According to the United States Elections Project, 64.3% of eligible Minnesotans voted. Washington (57.8%) and Colorado (62.2%) also had high numbers, thanks in part to a heavy reliance on voting by mail.

Even states with lower 2018 turnout saw sharp increases over recent mid-terms. In Texas enthusiasm generated by Democrat Beto O’Rourke (who was narrowly defeated) helped boost turnout to 46.1%, compared to 28.3% in 2014. Georgia, which had a contentious governor race, saw an increase from 38.6% to 55%.