With the midterms hours away, attention shifts to turnout. The Daily Beast pores over 30 years of voting data to find out which states exercise their franchise (congrats Maine, Palin's Alaska, and Massachusetts), and which can’t be bothered (Nevada, Georgia, and Texas need to head to the polls).
• Howard Kurtz: Beware the GOP Coronation• Tina Brown: Obama’s Morning-After Plan • Leslie H. Gelb: Give the People What They WantWill California remain in Democratic column? Will Sharron Angle win Nevada? Will Mark Kirk hold President Obama’s seat in Illinois? The election foreplay is over—the advertisements have run, the candidate rallies have ended and the advertisements are on their last cycle through the airwaves. Now the results are up to the voters.
So where do the most passionate voters reside? To answer that question, we combed the last 30 years of voting registration and election data (enough to even out any effects if particular states have been especially competitive in recent years). Referring to the U.S. Census Bureau’s registration and turnout data for every federal election cycle (congressional and presidential) from 1978-2008, we calculated the average registration percentage and average voter-participation percentage for each state. And then for the final ranking, average percentage of voter turnout was weighted three times as much as the average percentage of voter registration.
The results show that, when it comes to voting, there truly aren’t blue states or red states—just engaged states (where 70 percent of eligible voters exercise their rights) and those that don’t much care (where less than half do).
1, MinnesotaAverage voter registration rate: 83.8 Average voter participation rate: 69.8
2, North DakotaAverage voter registration rate: 91.1 Average voter participation rate: 66.3
3, MaineAverage voter registration rate: 83.0 Average voter participation rate: 65.1
4, South DakotaAverage voter registration rate: 77.1 Average voter participation rate: 65.5
5, WisconsinAverage voter registration rate: 80.8 Average voter participation rate: 62.9
6, OregonAverage voter registration rate: 75.5 Average voter participation rate: 64.3
7, MontanaAverage voter registration rate: 74.0 Average voter participation rate: 64.8
8, MassachusettsAverage voter registration rate: 74.2 Average voter participation rate: 61.7
9, AlaskaAverage voter registration rate: 74.2 Average voter participation rate: 61.5
10, Rhode IslandAverage voter registration rate: 73.4 Average voter participation rate: 61.7
11, IowaAverage voter registration rate: 74.2 Average voter participation rate: 60.5
12, Michigan Average voter registration rate: 75.6 Average voter participation rate: 59.2
13, ConnecticutAverage voter registration rate: 73.1 Average voter participation rate: 59.8
14, WyomingAverage voter registration rate: 68.5 Average voter participation rate: 61.2
15, VermontAverage voter registration rate: 74.6 Average voter participation rate: 59.1
16, MissouriAverage voter registration rate: 74.5 Average voter participation rate: 58.8
17, NebraskaAverage voter registration rate: 72.3 Average voter participation rate: 59.0
18, ColoradoAverage voter registration rate: 70.5 Average voter participation rate: 59.1
19, IllinoisAverage voter registration rate: 72.8 Average voter participation rate: 58.1
20, IdahoAverage voter registration rate: 68.7 Average voter participation rate: 59.5
21, Washington D.C.Average voter registration rate: 71.5 Average voter participation rate: 57.7
22, WashingtonAverage voter registration rate: 70.6 Average voter participation rate: 57.9
23, KansasAverage voter registration rate: 69.1 Average voter participation rate: 57.9
24, CaliforniaAverage voter registration rate: 68.5 Average voter participation rate: 57.9
25, UtahAverage voter registration rate: 69.1 Average voter participation rate: 57.4
26, New HampshireAverage voter registration rate: 69.9 Average voter participation rate: 56.5
27, Alabama Average voter registration rate: 73.5 Average voter participation rate: 55.3
28, MississippiAverage voter registration rate: 75.9 Average voter participation rate: 54.4
29, LouisianaAverage voter registration rate: 74.7 Average voter participation rate: 54.7
30, MarylandAverage voter registration rate: 69.1 Average voter participation rate: 56.4
31, OhioAverage voter registration rate: 68.7 Average voter participation rate: 56.3
32, New MexicoAverage voter registration rate: 67.0 Average voter participation rate: 56.2
33, OklahomaAverage voter registration rate: 69.4 Average voter participation rate: 54.8
34, New JerseyAverage voter registration rate: 69.9 Average voter participation rate: 54.3
35, New YorkAverage voter registration rate: 66.9 Average voter participation rate: 55.0
36, DelawareAverage voter registration rate: 67.2 Average voter participation rate: 54.4
37, FloridaAverage voter registration rate: 67.5 Average voter participation rate: 54.2
38, IndianaAverage voter registration rate: 66.8 Average voter participation rate: 53.3
39, PennsylvaniaAverage voter registration rate: 65.2 Average voter participation rate: 52.8
40, HawaiiAverage voter registration rate: 61.6 Average voter participation rate: 53.9
41, VirginiaAverage voter registration rate: 65.8 Average voter participation rate: 51.6
42, ArkansasAverage voter registration rate: 65.5 Average voter participation rate: 51.3
43, ArizonaAverage voter registration rate: 63.2 Average voter participation rate: 51.8
44, North CarolinaAverage voter registration rate: 66.0 Average voter participation rate: 50.0
45, KentuckyAverage voter registration rate: 68.2 Average voter participation rate: 49.1
46, South CarolinaAverage voter registration rate: 64.0 Average voter participation rate: 50.1
47, TennesseeAverage voter registration rate: 65.9 Average voter participation rate: 49.0
48, TexasAverage voter registration rate: 67.0 Average voter participation rate: 48.6
49, West VirginiaAverage voter registration rate: 65.2 Average voter participation rate: 47.2
50, GeorgiaAverage voter registration rate: 63.9 Average voter participation rate: 47.4
51, NevadaAverage voter registration rate: 58.1 Average voter participation rate: 49.3
