Voting Rates Were Down In 2008 Election
An interesting development. We’ve heard a lot about the colossal turnout for Obama’s election in 2008, but truth is when you take into account population growth voter turnout was actually down in 2008 when compared to 2004. Meaning, proportionally, more people turned out for Kerry vs. Bush than Obama vs. McCain.
WASHINGTON (AP) - For all the attention generated by last year’s presidential race, census figures show the share of eligible voters who actually went to the polls in November declined from 2004.
Census figures released Monday show about 63.6 percent of eligible voters, or 131.1 million people, cast ballots last November. Although that represented an increase of 5 million voters, the turnout was a decrease when taking into account population growth. In 2004, the voting rate was 63.8 percent.
Here’s perhaps the most interesting aspect:
According to the data, more older whites opted to stay home compared with 2004, citing little interest in supporting either Barack Obama or John McCain.
My guess is that the demographic who chose to stay home trends pretty conservative.
We’re told again and again that Obama’s victory was a mandate for liberalism, but I still think it had more to do with disillusioned conservatives either throwing out a protest vote for Obama or other Democrats or just plain staying home as the numbers above seem to indicate.
I don’t think liberals have been winning elections because they’ve been winning the country over to their world view. I think they’ve been winning elections because they’ve been campaigning against an idealogical vacuum on the right.
