Monday, July 20, 2009

Surprising voter turnout totals from 2008

Remember all the media hype about Obama bringing out tons of voters to cast ballots in the historic election of 2008? It didn't happen.

The share of eligible voters who actually went to the polls in November 2008 declined from November 2004, according to new U.S. Census figures.

A total of 63.6 percent of eligible voters, or 131.1 million people, cast ballots in the contest between Barack Obama and John McCain last November. The voter turnout in 2004 for the George W. Bush-John F. Kerry showdown was 63.8 percent.

While the total number of votes cast was higher by 5 million, the turnout was down, especially among older white Americans, according to the Census Bureau.

This is a case where people voted with their feet and none of the above resulted in Barack Obama as president. How's that "hope and change" working out for you now?

"The 2008 presidential election saw a significant increase in voter turnout among young people, blacks and Hispanics," said Thom File, a voting analyst with the Census Bureau's Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division. "But as turnout among some other demographic groups either decreased or remained unchanged, the overall 2008 voter turnout rate was not statistically different from 2004."

Read more from the new report, Voting and Registration in the Election of 2008, at the link below:

Voter Turnout Increases by 5 Million in 2008 Presidential Election, U.S. Census Bureau Reports

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