Election Turnout Over Time
Ease of registration should affect turnout.
Election turnout over time. It tends to be lower in north america asia and latin america than in most of europe and oceania. Electoral competition should drive up turnout. In comparing two jurisdictions over time with comparable demographic caracteristics education age income etc turnout should be higher in the one with less restrictive registration requirements.
Since that low point voter turnout has gradually recovered and reached 72 2 percent in. Presidential election popular vote totals. An earlier estimate had pegged turnout at 52 4 per cent.
This said officials point out that the updated figure of 54 5 per cent does not include voters who had registered on general election day oct. Voter turnout in united states presidential elections has historically been higher than the turnout for midterm elections. Other things equal when the stakes in the election seem greater turnout should increase.
Lower election turnout in general over time has been accompanied by a rise in other forms of citizen activism such as mass protests occupy movements and increased use of social media as a new. The historical trends in voter turnout in the united states presidential elections have been determined by the gradual expansion of voting rights from the initial restriction to white male property owners aged 21 or older in the early years of the country s independence to all citizens aged 18 or older in the mid 20th century. Between 1922 and 1997 voter turnout never fell below 70 percent but in 2001 it dropped to just 59 4 percent.