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Voter Turnout Was Highest In 40 Years

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The Associated Press

Published: December 15, 2008

WASHINGTON - Enthusiasm among blacks and Democrats for Barack Obama's candidacy pushed voter turnout in this year's elections to the highest level in 40 years.

This year's total is the highest turnout rate since 1968, when Republican Richard Nixon defeated Democrat Hubert Humphrey, said Michael McDonald, a political science professor at George Mason University.

States finished certifying their election results this weekend, including California on Saturday. The Electoral College was scheduled to elect Obama president today, with electors meeting in each state to vote in a largely ceremonial procedure.

REPUBLICAN SHARE

Turnout fell short of many predictions, in part because voters in some Republican areas of the country were not as enthusiastic this year with Sen. John McCain as the party's nominee as they were four years ago when President George W. Bush won a second term.

OBAMA'S YEAR

•Bush's unpopularity after eight years in office, the nation's fatigue with the war in Iraq and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression - coupled with Obama's message of change - contributed to the increased turnout for the Democrat.

•He was also helped by a surge in black voters, who had the opportunity to elect the first black president.

•The number of registered Democrats jumped in many states, helping to propel Obama to a larger share of the vote than Sen. John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic nominee, in 44 states and the District of Columbia.

•The campaign also invested heavily in early voting, and voters responded.

VOTING IN STATES

•Voter turnout increased substantially in newly competitive states such as Virginia, Indiana and North Carolina.

•Turnout increased in some Republican states with large black populations, such as Mississippi, South Carolina and Georgia.

•North Carolina, which had competitive elections for president, governor and Senate, had the biggest increase in turnout, from 57.8 percent in 2004 to 65.8 percent this year.

•Minnesota, with a competitive Senate race that still hasn't been decided, had the highest turnout rate, even though it dropped slightly, to 77.8 percent. It was followed by Wisconsin, Maine, New Hampshire and Iowa.

•West Virginia and Hawaii tied for the lowest turnout rate, at 50.6 percent. Arkansas, Utah and Texas came close.

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