HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Millennials could have a big say in the Nov. 5 election. That generation, born between the early 1980s to mid 1990s, makes up a large part of the Houston voting population, according to the Registrar of Voters Office. But statistics show it’s Baby Boomers who typically cast ballots.
If history repeats itself, Houston could see a big turnout at the polls.
Voters packed the polls for the 2015 general election in the city of Houston resulting in the highest turnout rates the city has seen in more than a decade.
In the 2015 general election, there were 979,401 registered voters—268,872 voted.
At 27.3 percent, it was the highest Houston has seen since 2003 when voter turnout was just over 31 percent.
Poll watchers attributed the rise in 2015 to the Houston mayoral race and the city's controversial nondiscrimination proposition known as the “Bathroom Bill.”
The Harris County Clerk’s Office started tracking the generational trends this year to get an idea of which age groups are participating in an election. They found that it varies from presidential to local elections.
Data show, Generation X has the biggest showing during presidential elections.
But in the last three general elections, while Generation X made up the largest percentage of registered voters in Houston, Baby Boomers had the biggest turnout at the polls, followed by Generation X, the silent generation (ages 75 plus) and lastly, Millennials.
Right now, the average age of registered voters in Houston is 47. And if history repeats itself, Baby Boomers will make up the largest percentage of participants on Nov. 5.
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