TL;DR
The digital divide directly suppresses voter turnout — 81% of internet users voted in 2020, compared to just 56% of non-users. This 25-point gap compounds across communities already facing systemic barriers: people with disabilities, low-income households, rural residents, and Native American voters. Closing the digital divide isn’t just a tech issue — it’s a democratic one. Check your voter registration at vote.gov and support organizations working to get every household connected.
Table of Contents
- How Much Does the Digital Divide Actually Affect Voting?
- What Are the Two Sides of the Digital Divide?
- Which Communities Are Most Shut Out of Digital Democracy?
- How Does Lack of Internet Access Shape Where People Get Voting Information?
- What Can We Do to Protect Democracy by Closing the Digital Divide?
- FAQ
How Much Does the Digital Divide Actually Affect Voting?
The gap is enormous — and measurable. In the 2020 presidential election, 81% of internet users voted, compared to just 56% of non-users. That’s a 25-percentage-point chasm between the connected and the disconnected.
Among people with disabilities, the gap narrows but persists: 78% of internet users with disabilities voted, versus 66% of non-users with disabilities — a 12-point difference. And in the 2022 midterms, 14% of voters with disabilities experienced difficulties casting their ballots, compared to only 4% of voters without disabilities. More alarmingly, 4.9% of eligible voters with disabilities attempted to vote but were unable to do so — nearly double the rate of those without disabilities.
Perhaps most concerning for future elections: internet users are 13 percentage points more likely to say they will "definitely vote" in upcoming elections compared to non-users. That gap holds even when controlling for demographic characteristics and geography. The digital divide isn’t just suppressing votes today — it’s engineering political disengagement tomorrow.
What Are the Two Sides of the Digital Divide?
The digital divide operates through two reinforcing barriers: the access divide and the skills divide. Both suppress civic participation, and addressing only one leaves the other firmly in place.
The access divide is the disparity between those who have reliable internet connections and functional devices, and those who don’t. But it’s not just about whether someone owns a smartphone or pays for broadband. A slow, unreliable connection or an outdated device can be nearly as limiting as no access at all. According to Pew Research Center’s 2025 survey data, Americans in households making under $30,000 a year remain far less likely than those with higher incomes to subscribe to home broadband — and recent analysis of 2023 ACS data from the Benton Institute warns that progress on closing the digital divide may have stalled entirely, with 22% of households earning below $25,000 relying solely on cell plans for home internet service.
The skills divide refers to the gap in abilities needed to effectively interact with online systems and digital technologies — from operating devices and navigating software to evaluating the quality of information found online. This gap is often more insidious than the access divide because it’s less visible. An individual may have a state-of-the-art computer and high-speed internet, but without the skills to use these tools effectively, they remain at a significant disadvantage. The skills divide can persist long after access issues have been addressed.
The barriers aren’t just technological — they’re psychological too. Many individuals, particularly older adults or those from disadvantaged backgrounds, feel intimidated by technology or lack confidence in their ability to learn new digital skills. That discomfort is as significant a barrier as the absence of a Wi-Fi signal.
Which Communities Are Most Shut Out of Digital Democracy?
The digital divide doesn’t hit everyone equally. It concentrates hardest along lines of disability, income, geography, age, and race — the same fault lines that already define political underrepresentation.
People with disabilities face some of the steepest barriers. Only 84% of people with disabilities have internet access, compared to 95% of those without disabilities. Device usage drops too: 95% of people without disabilities use computing devices, compared to 86.4% for those with disabilities. And 33% of people with disabilities lack easy access to a printer, compared to 18% of those without — a barrier that matters when mail-in ballots, voter registration forms, or election information need to be printed. Seniors with disabilities are hit hardest: 30% lack internet access, compared to 18% of seniors without disabilities and just 5% of younger adults.
Low-income households face a digital poverty trap. The original blog cited that only 40% of households earning $20,000–$25,000 had internet access, while 78% of those earning $50,000–$75,000 did. Fresh data from Pew Research Center (January 2026) confirms persistent income-based divides, while Statista (June 2025) reports that 99% of adults earning $100,000+ access the internet — illustrating just how wide the gap remains at the bottom. Ethnicity, income, age, and education all remain significant predictors of access to technology, with white and better-educated individuals more likely to engage with government websites.
Rural communities remain disconnected. The original data cited 79% internet access for rural residents versus 95% in urban areas. Globally, the ITU’s 2025 data shows 85% of urban residents use the internet compared to just 58% of rural populations — a gap that mirrors the domestic challenge. Rural voters contend with limited options for electronic communication and a lack of dedicated IT staff for election infrastructure.
Native American voters face barriers to online registration and unequal access to in-person voting, drop boxes, and early voting sites — a compounding of digital and physical disenfranchisement.
The result: people with disabilities were 3.4 percentage points less likely to report voting in 2020 than those without disabilities. That number represents hundreds of thousands of silenced voices.
How Does Lack of Internet Access Shape Where People Get Voting Information?
People without reliable internet access don’t just miss voting — they miss the information that makes voting informed.
71% of people with disabilities rely on non-internet sources for voting information, compared to 61% of those without disabilities. They show a marked preference for television (25% vs. 16%), talking to family and friends (32% vs. 24%), and printed mailings (28% vs. 18%). These traditional media sources often carry less comprehensive, less up-to-date election information than digital channels.
Trust compounds the problem. Internet users are far more likely to trust information from election offices — 54% compared to just 19% of non-users. That trust gap means disconnected communities are more vulnerable to misinformation and more likely to disengage from the electoral process entirely. When you can’t access the official source, you’re left with whatever information reaches you — and that’s a recipe for confusion, distrust, and disengagement.
What Can We Do to Protect Democracy by Closing the Digital Divide?
Bridging the digital divide is a fundamental requirement for equal democratic representation — not a nice-to-have.
The disparities in access, skills, and trust have created systemic barriers that suppress the voices of millions in our electoral process. But this challenge also presents an opportunity for collective action.
Organizations like Human-I-T are working to expand digital access on both fronts — providing affordable, high-quality technology and internet access to income-qualified families, and building the digital skills that make that access meaningful. When working families get connected, they don’t just gain access to faster broadband — they gain access to voter registration portals, candidate information, election office communications, and the civic infrastructure that democracy depends on.
Take action today. Support organizations like Human-I-T and help close the digital divide. Your involvement can transform the landscape of civic engagement, ensuring our democracy represents all voices — regardless of disability status, income level, age, or location.
Donate to Human-I-T | Check your voter registration at vote.gov
FAQ
Does the digital divide really affect voter turnout?
Yes — dramatically. In the 2020 election, 81% of internet users voted compared to just 56% of non-users. Internet users are also 13 percentage points more likely to say they will "definitely vote" in future elections. The gap persists even when controlling for demographics and geography.
Which groups are most affected by the digital divide in elections?
People with disabilities, low-income households, rural residents, older adults, and Native American communities face the steepest barriers. For example, only 84% of people with disabilities have internet access, and seniors with disabilities are the most disconnected group — 30% lack internet access entirely.
How does the digital divide lead to voter misinformation?
Disconnected individuals rely more heavily on television, word of mouth, and printed mailings for voting information. Only 19% of non-internet users trust information from election offices, compared to 54% of internet users. This trust gap increases vulnerability to misinformation and political disengagement.
How can I help close the digital divide and support voter participation?
Donate technology or funds to Human-I-T to help get income-qualified families connected with devices, internet access, and digital skills training. Every household that gets online gains access to voter registration, election information, and the tools of democratic participation.
Where can I check my voter registration status?
Head to vote.gov to verify your registration, find your polling place, and get information about upcoming elections. It takes less than two minutes.
