As voters prepare to head to the polls Tuesday, new research from Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research offers insight into why some residents choose not to vote and whether those who sat out the last presidential election plan to participate this year.
Drawing on survey responses from Harris County residents, researchers found that 59% of eligible nonvoters cited political disengagement or dissatisfaction as their primary reason for skipping the 2024 election. Looking ahead to the 2026 midterms, just 28% of registered respondents who did not vote in 2024 said they were certain to cast a ballot this year.
“Voting isn’t always about access to the polls. For many people, the bigger barrier is whether they feel connected to the political process or believe their participation makes a difference,” said Daniel Potter, director of the Kinder Institute’s Houston Population Research Center.
Potter, a co-author of the study, is available for interviews on Election Day and afterward to discuss what drives voter participation, which groups are more likely to sit out elections and what the findings could mean for future turnout.
To schedule an interview with Potter, contact media relations specialists Kat Cosley Trigg at kat.cosley.trigg@rice.edu.