Government Employees Eager to Hit the Voting Booth in November

If you’re among the more than 160 million Americans projected to vote in this November’s presidential election, you’re likely to run into a few public sector peers at your local polling place.

A recent Federal Times survey of more than 1,000 government employees and retirees found 98% of respondents saying they are registered voters, with 95% telling the bimonthly magazine that they intend to cast ballots for president this fall, when incumbent Joe Biden faces off against Republican nominee Donald Trump.

As Federal Times’ Molly Weisner pointed out in a piece highlighting the survey’s findings, U.S. Census Bureau estimates put the number of active U.S. voters in 2022 at roughly 122 million. At about 2.2 million, the federal workforce represents a small sliver of that population, but experts told Federal Times that the overall public sector workforce—employees at all levels of government—figure to be a difference-maker come election time.

“Government employees vote in disproportionately higher numbers than any other employment category, Brian Baugus, PhD, an associate professor of business, leadership and management at Regent University, told Federal Times.

“While they are a bit under 10% of the population, they are regularly 12% to 15% of the electorate,” said Baugus, who has studied how public sector employees influence election outcomes.

Baugus and others told Federal Times there are a variety of factors driving public sector workers’ exceptionally high turnout at the polls. For example, Baugus noted government workers naturally have a strong vested interest in the outcome of elections, adding that the costs of being an informed voter are lower for government employees.

“Higher incentives and lower costs usually lead to more action, in this case voting, especially since they are usually forbidden from being involved in campaigns and electioneering, so voting is their only outlet for political activity.”

In an interview with Federal Times, Partnership for Public Service Founding President and CEO Max Stier described government workers as “an important constituency in our country.”

In the workplace, these employees “have to follow the lead of those people who are elected by the general population,” said Stier. “So, their one opportunity to express their views about which direction the country should go, is the voting booth.”