http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/voterturnout/ en-us Sun, 1 Mar 2009 16:36:29 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2196718/posts Compared to 2004, Republican turnout declined by 1.3 percentage points to 28.7 percent, while Democratic turnout increased by 2.6 points from 28.7 percent in 2004 to 31.3 percent in 2008. CNN Political Ticker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2196718/posts#comment Sun, 1 Mar 2009 16:36:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2132676/posts The race between Barack Obama and John McCain was supposed to be about winning the middle. Both candidates embraced the theme of moving from partisan gridlock to seeking bipartisan consensus. Obama's speeches evoked a country that was "not blue states and red states, but more United States." McCain focused on his record of working on both sides of Senate aisle. In contrast to the 2004 election, in which both parties sought to motivate their bases, this campaign was set on the battlefield of undecided voters. The election results, however, record the exact opposite happening. Most undecided voters swung to McCain,... The Weekly Standard http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2132676/posts#comment Sat, 15 Nov 2008 17:33:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2129611/posts If I read about the "landslide" election once more I will be forced to hurl bile. The raw data...the true numbers speak what happened in this election. Obama won by: 204,577 in FL 206,770 in OH 202,110 in VA 13,993 in NC 25,836 in IN 119,896 in NV 140,732 in IA That comes out to 913,914 votes. So yes...people are claiming McCain was crushed by 7 million votes but in all reality it was 913,914 votes in total that Obama needed at the end of the day. Turn out was lower than 2004 for the GOP...about 20% less. We pretty... Various http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2129611/posts#comment Mon, 10 Nov 2008 22:28:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2129419/posts A look at vaious exit polls (including the linked ones): Looks like Party ID in three exit polls Favored the Democrats 39%D/32%R/29%I (+7% Democrats). A breakdown of several exit polls provides the following observations: (Good news/bad news) 1.) Women are increasingly outvoting men. This is bad news because women always vote majority Democrat, always. No exceptions. We need to increase registration of male voters, as well as turnout. 2.) Latinos (and Asians) gave their largest margin to a candidate - almost 3:1 Democrats to GOP. The GOP needs to address this, preferably by finding more Conservative Latino/Asian candidates, especially in... CNN/Various http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2129419/posts#comment Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:04:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2129016/posts Despite widespread predictions of record turnout in this year’s presidential election, roughly the same portion of eligible voters cast ballots in 2008 as in 2004. Between 60.7 percent and 61.7 percent of the 208.3 million eligible voters cast ballots this year, compared with 60.6 percent of those eligible in 2004, according to a voting analysis by American University political scientist Curtis Gans, an authority on voter turnout. He estimated that between 126.5 million and 128.5 million eligible voters cast ballots this year, versus 122.3 million four years ago. Gans said the gross number of ballots cast in 2008 was the... Ploitico http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2129016/posts#comment Sun, 9 Nov 2008 23:09:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2128368/posts As usual, the media has missed the huge story of this election. Their story is that Obama registered huge masses of new supporters and got them to the polls. At first, that was what I thought, but that is not the key factor. I was expecting the highest percentage turnout in 100 years amounting to 130,000,000 voters, but instead as of 5:00 PM EDT, 121,146,964 people voted for Obama or McCain. In 2004, 121,069,054 people voted for Bush or Kerry. Hence in a hotly contested election in which a fortune was spent on the race, there was no big surge... The Marston Chronicles http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2128368/posts#comment Sat, 8 Nov 2008 02:16:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2128483/posts This is interesting analysis by Marston. Does this mean that McCain cost us seats in the House and Senate? I have to admit, when McCain was elected in the primaries, my first inclination was "we lost already". Did any of you think the same thing back then? McCain's repulsion in the base kept potential voters home for other seats, it seems. Marston Chronicles http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2128483/posts#comment Sat, 8 Nov 2008 06:03:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2127999/posts Despite a record number of registered voters this year, intense interest in the presidential election and the historic outcome, Ohio's voter turnout was lower Tuesday than in 2004, unofficial statistics show. Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner is reporting 67 percent turnout, compared with 72 percent in 2004. She had been predicting 80 percent turnout this time. The percentage could increase as provisional ballots, overseas ballots and other outstanding votes are included during the official canvass in the coming weeks. But overall turnout still is expected to be lower than in 2004, leaving experts at a loss to explain it --... The Columbus Dispatch http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2127999/posts#comment Fri, 7 Nov 2008 18:03:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2127514/posts WASHINGTON (CNN) – A new report from American University’s Center for the Study of the American Electorate concludes that voter turnout in Tuesday’s election was the same in percentage terms as it was four years ago — or at most has risen by less than 1 percent. Click here to read the entire report. The report released Thursday estimates that between 126.5 and 128.5 million Americans cast ballots in the presidential election earlier this week. Those figures represent 60.7 percent or, at most, 61.7 percent of those eligible to vote in the country.“A downturn in the number and percentage of... CNN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2127514/posts#comment Fri, 7 Nov 2008 02:25:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2127069/posts Pre-election headlines declared 'Record Turn-out Expected' with expectations of possibly 130 million or more voters showing up to vote. What happened to that notion? With counting still on-going, there are a million less votes than there were in 2004 and only 121 million in total. Did exaggerated poll numbers and the promise of long lines discourage voting? Vanity http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2127069/posts#comment Thu, 6 Nov 2008 16:46:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2126680/posts I agree with D.J. Drummond in his blog here : http://stolenthunder.blogspot.com/ when he said : ----------------------------------------------------- Consider the next fact; turnout this year was down, not up. Down by more than five million votes from 2004. Somebody did not bother to vote this year. But who was it? Again looking at CNN, it turns out that participation by democrats was 7 points higher than republicans. There was a modest 3 percent increase nationally in democrat voter registration from 2004’s tallies, while republicans dropped turnout by at least 15 percent from 2004. So if you are one of those eight million... Vanity http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2126680/posts#comment Thu, 6 Nov 2008 04:00:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2126586/posts -snip- Gans said the lower end of his estimate would put the rate near that of 2004. Experts calculate turnout rates in different ways based on whom they consider eligible voters. Breakdown by party voting shows that Republican turnout rates are down quite a bit, while Democratic turnout rates are up, Gans said. Republican states, such as Wyoming and South Dakota, saw turnout drop. "I think they were discouraged," Gans said. North Carolina saw the greatest increase in turnout, because of close presidential, Senate and gubernatorial races, according to Gans' research. Other states where turnout increased were Indiana, Georgia and... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2126586/posts#comment Thu, 6 Nov 2008 01:52:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2124878/posts Voters were lined up by the hundreds Tuesday as polls opened in Virginia, and reports quickly began to mount of malfunctioning voting machines and polling places opening late. The State Board of Elections said at a briefing there were no "widespread problems" and blamed human error and the rain for those problems that were reported. "Virginians are turning out in record numbers," spokeswoman Susan S. Pollard said in a statement. "Although a light rain is falling across the state, it does not seem to have dampened turnout."... State elections officials have said Virginia could see an unprecedented Election Day turnout.... Hampton Roads Pilot http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2124878/posts#comment Tue, 4 Nov 2008 19:06:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2123275/posts The final numbers are in -- and turnout in the 2004 presidential election, it seems, was a bit more impressive than previously believed. The Committee for the Study of the American Electorate reported yesterday that more than 122 million people voted in the November election, a number that translates into the highest turnout -- 60.7 percent -- since 1968. Turnout was 6.4 percent higher than in 2000, the largest uptick in voter participation since the 1952 election. The numbers are a bit higher than the research group's initial estimates, which were based on unofficial tallies and released days after the... The Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2123275/posts#comment Mon, 3 Nov 2008 08:13:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2121984/posts WASHINGTON – Voter turnout will be the highest in decades, dwarfing recent presidential elections, experts predict. The only question dividing experts is how huge will it be. Will it be the largest since 1968, largest since 1960 or even, as one expert predicts, the largest in a century? Soaring early voting levels hint at a big turnout, but that could just be the same voters casting ballots earlier instead of more voters hitting the polls. Weather should generally be favorable, according to forecasts. --snip-- Michael McDonald of George Mason University is so optimistic he's predicting the highest level in a... AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2121984/posts#comment Sat, 1 Nov 2008 21:16:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2121764/posts It is the last great unknown in a White House battle that has been polled and analyzed for nearly two years -- who will actually show up and vote? The outcome of the race between John McCain and Barack Obama rests on which unpredictable combination of new voters, young voters, black voters, suburban voters, white voters, Hispanic voters, rural voters and even sporadic voters cast a ballot in Tuesday's election. Officials in both campaigns are predicting a record high turnout -- and a surge of new voter registrations and the long lines for early voting across the country appear to... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2121764/posts#comment Sat, 1 Nov 2008 16:58:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2121300/posts PRINCETON, NJ -- Gallup polling in October finds little evidence of a surge in young voter turnout beyond what it was in 2004. While young voter registration may be up slightly over 2004, the reported level of interest in the election and intention to vote among those under 30 are no higher than they were that year. Gallup http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2121300/posts#comment Sat, 1 Nov 2008 00:11:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2111189/posts The best way to avoid shock and demoralization from a repeat of the 2004 exit poll nightmare is to expect it again this year and ignore it. Remember that pleasant afternoon on Election Day 2004 when the exit polls were leaked showing a Kerry blowout in the making? Politico. More recently, in 2004, exit poll data that began circulating early in the afternoon led to short-lived Democratic elation and deep Republican anxiety. By evening, some of President George W. Bush’s key strategists were frantic, emailing reporters at polling organizations to better understand the gap between what they were finding on... The Patriot Room http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2111189/posts#comment Tue, 21 Oct 2008 15:20:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2082210/posts I suddenly noticed that the next big expansion to the popular "World of Warcraft" online game, "Wrath of the Lich King", comes out on November 3rd. That's one day before the election. Anyone think basement-dwelling liberals will be too busy with the new game to go out and vote? Hey, I can dream... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2082210/posts#comment Sun, 14 Sep 2008 16:40:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2076789/posts There's a huge buzz in the conservative community. Republicans are finally on board with John McCain's candidacy, what with his excellent accounting of himself at Rick Warren's Civil Forum at Saddleback and the addition of Sarah Palin to the ticket. We should feel excited, even proud to be Republicans again. We appear to have finally found our way, recovering from the mistakes that were made which led to the Democrats taking over both houses of congress in 2006. But lately I've been sensing a certain feeling of cockiness. Democrats, we are told, are running scared. Palin has the Obama camp... America Talks http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2076789/posts#comment Sun, 7 Sep 2008 18:33:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064866/posts WASHINGTON - When Barack Obama announces his choice for vice president, the real payoff may come during the next few months — one text message at a time. Obama's campaign plans to break the news of the Democratic candidate's vice presidential pick to people who have signed up to receive e-mails and text messages from the campaign. It should give Obama's team access to tens of thousands of cell phone numbers that could be used to mobilize voters under 30 on Election Day. "What Obama is creating is this army of individuals, these grass-roots activists, who are out there trying... Yahoo News / AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2064866/posts#comment Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:31:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2060132/posts Divisive social issues will be on the ballot in several states in November, including constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage in Arizona, California and Florida, and limitations on abortion in California, Colorado and South Dakota. Although research indicates that ballot measures do not drastically alter voter turnout, they have begun attracting the attention of both presidential campaigns. Unlike 2004, when same-sex marriage bans were considered in 11 states, no single issue will dominate statewide ballots. “Tax and spending issues are typically one of the main focuses of these measures, but this time that’s less true,” said Jennie Drage Bowser, a policy... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2060132/posts#comment Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:14:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2017012/posts Another 50-50 Myth Debunked by: Bethany Stotts, May 16, 2008 Do Americans live in a democracy or in a scum-ridden, corrupt regime run by elite interests? Skeptics tend to believe the latter. “Start with this reality: the Powers That Be don’t want genuine democracy...They intend for politics to be a spectator event for us, scripted by the one-tenth of 1 percent of elites who put up the controlling money,” write Jim Hightower and Susan DeMarco in their book, Swim Against the Current. While hyperbolic (as is much of Hightower’s writing), their argument exemplifies how research placing American voter turnout at... Campus Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2017012/posts#comment Fri, 16 May 2008 19:40:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1971623/posts Would having elections on a Saturday or Sunday encourage more people to vote and would it be better for the country? I was wondering how many people don't vote because they have to work. Consider that they have to get up early, get ready for work and commute during morning rush hour. The polling place may be in another direction from their route to work and they may have a long distance to their jobs. If someone is working a full day, they have to take travel time plus 8 1/2 to 9 hours on the job, then the commute... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1971623/posts#comment Sun, 17 Feb 2008 00:35:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1745543/posts On election day and night — only three weeks ago, although it seems much longer — several people asked me if the turnout would be over 50%. The answer, of course, was of course. But for some time it looked lower, and quite a few people, many of them on a losing campaign or two, went on about this as though it somehow justified their losing. “Schwarzenegger may have won big,” this sentiment went, “but only 35% turned out in Orange County in the lowest statewide turnout ever.” Many thought statewide turnout would be under 50%. But they, perhaps, forgot... New West Notes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1745543/posts#comment Wed, 29 Nov 2006 03:37:56 GMT