Precinct definition
Precincts determine voters' ballot choices and polling locations. In 2024, states reported 95,815 polling places nationwide.
A precinct is an election area that determines which contests and issues a voter is eligible to vote on. Local election officials set precinct boundaries and assign each precinct to a polling place where its voters cast ballots in person. Two or more precincts can share one polling place.
Officials count and report votes for president, US senator, and US representative precinct by precinct. States reported having 95,815 polling places for the 2024 general election in the Election Assistance Commission’s post-election survey.
How are precinct boundaries determined?
Local governments usually establish precincts and must adopt any boundary changes. Election officials also decide how many polling places to open and which precincts to assign to each one.
Redistricting can move precinct lines. If new district boundaries cut through a precinct, officials may have to split it or redraw its boundaries.
After each census, states can send their precinct boundaries to the Census Bureau. The bureau calls them “voting districts,” a generic name that also covers election districts and wards. It then reports population counts for each one so states can draw new districts.
What is the difference between a precinct and a district?
A district is a geographic area whose voters elect a public official to represent it.
Precinct boundaries decide which ballot a voter receives. District boundaries decide who represents that voter. States use precincts as building blocks when they draw district lines.
Do you have to vote in your assigned precinct?
Precinct rules depend on the state. In some states, a voter can cast a provisional ballot in any precinct, regardless of their registered address. In other states, a provisional ballot counts only if it’s cast in the precinct where the voter is eligible to vote.
Some jurisdictions use “vote centers” instead of precinct polling places. Any voter in the jurisdiction can vote at any vote center on Election Day.
Keep exploring
- How many Americans voted in 2024? - Voter turnout was the third highest since 1980 but declined by 1.5 percentage points since 2020.
- How many Americans voted in 2020? - Voter turnout surged in 2020 with increases in mail-in and early voting.
- How many voters cast ballots early and by mail? - Early and mail-in ballots accounted for over half of all votes in 2024.
- How COVID-19 is changing primary voting—and the November election - Some states are extending deadlines and eligibility for mail-in ballots. Such measures may provide insight in how people vote in the November general election.
