Inside the Data: How different age groups voted
Vol. III, No. 185 - Digging into the demographics of last month's election
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Across Miami County, one thing is clear from November’s election: older residents still carry most of the weight at the ballot box, even as communities grow younger and more diverse. This conclusion was made after looking at the voter profiles of those who showed up at the ballot box. This data shows who voted and some demographic data, namely age, that is explored in today’s piece. The biggest point is this, where younger voters are may hint at how future elections—like what we saw in the Bethel Local School District—may change as those younger residents decide whether to get involved.
Who is showing up now
The data from this fall’s election paints a picture of communities where the typical voter is in their late fifties or early sixties. In Troy, Piqua, Tipp City, West Milton and Bethel Township, the average voter was born in the 1960s, meaning most are nearing or, already in retirement. In every community, voters born in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s make up the largest blocks of participants, far outpacing those born in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.
Turnout percentages line up with that story. Bethel Township posted the highest turnout at 32 percent, while Piqua, Huber Heights, and Troy all fell under a quarter of registered voters. Communities with older, long‑time residents, like Bethel Township and Tipp City, tend to send more people to the polls than places with more mobile and younger populations such as Huber Heights, where the average age of a voter was 54, the youngest average age of any community in the county.
Older voters, louder voice
When older voters dominate local elections, their concerns naturally shape school boards and city councils. National research from the National Civic League on local elections shows that voters over 60 turn out at much higher rates than young adults, which means public decisions on schools, streets, and taxes often reflect the priorities of older homeowners more than those just starting out. In Miami County’s data, that pattern is visible in the high numbers of voters born before 1970 in nearly every community.
This does not mean older residents are voting “against” younger people; many care deeply about good schools and safe neighborhoods for future generations. But it does mean that if younger voters stay home, key choices—from school funding to housing—will be made with less input from the people who will live longest with those decisions. The age gap at the polls can slowly turn into a policy gap at the council table and in the school board meeting room.
Bethel Local’s changing electorate
Nowhere is the tension between old and new more visible than in the Bethel Local School District. The district has doubled in size over the last thirteen years, driven largely by new families moving into the Huber Heights side of the district. Today, a clear majority of registered voters in the district live in Huber Heights rather than in rural Bethel Township.
Yet the turnout figures suggest that Bethel Township continues to punch above its weight because its residents vote at higher rates than their suburban neighbors. The township’s 32 percent turnout contrasts with Huber Heights’ 18 percent, even though the city now holds the larger share of voters. That imbalance helps explain why long‑standing township voices still shape the district, even as classrooms become more suburban and more crowded.
The recent Bethel Local school board race captured this shift in real time. Kristen Amburgey, who lives in the Huber Heights portion of the district, finished first overall, powered by very strong support in the city’s precincts while struggling to gain traction in the township. Her performance—nearly 45 percent support in Huber Heights precincts and more than half the vote in one of them—shows what happens when newer suburban voters organize and turn out together.
At the same time, township voters continued to back other candidates at higher rates, but their numbers were no longer large enough to decide the contest on their own. As Huber Heights continues to grow inside the district, future school board elections will likely hinge on whether city voters keep building the habit of turning out or whether township voters retain their advantage by staying more consistent.
But, the differences aren’t just geographic, they are demographic. The average age of a voter in Huber Heights was 54, which as state earlier, was the lowest average age of any community in the county. The average age of a voter in Bethel Township was 60, which was more in line with the county average. Communities with younger voters, even with lower turnouts, have the ability to change elections.
The stakes for younger voters
For younger residents across these communities, the message is both simple and urgent. Miami County’s elections already feature a mix of growing suburbs and long‑standing rural neighborhoods, and those shapes are changing faster in places like Bethel than almost anywhere else in the county. If younger voters—from recent graduates to parents of elementary students—choose not to participate, school and local leaders will continue to be chosen mostly by their parents’ and grandparents’ generations.
But if those same young adults claim a seat at the table by voting in every local election, they can help balance rural traditions with suburban growth and ensure school boards reflect the full community. Civic Capacity’s mission is to encourage that kind of thoughtful, local engagement, where each person understands that a quiet Tuesday in November is their chance to speak up about the future of their schools, streets, and neighborhoods.
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