NJ voters among the least motivated in the nation
With Election Day coming up and only around 61 percent of the voting age population having voted in the 2016 presidential election and 36 percent in the 2014 midterm, personal finance website Wallethub has revealed its report on 2018's Most and Least Politically Engaged States.
Analyst Jill Gonzalez said Wallethub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 10 key indicators of political engagement.
New Jersey ranks 35th. Gonzalez said because New Jersey is typically a Democratic-leaning state, that tends to disengage many voters who feel that their vote doesn't matter. Overall, blue states tend to be more politically engaged than red ones.
She said despite having a high number of registered voters, New Jersey has a disconnect between people registering and people actually showing up to the polls or voting early.
Among the state's 18-24 age group, 40 percent voted in the last election, which is below national average.
Washington, D.C., which does not have a voting member of Congress, is the most politically engaged, followed by Maine, Utah, Maryland and Washington. New Mexico is the least politically engaged state followed by Hawaii, Alabama, Indiana and Tennessee.