Voter Turnout in the United States 1788-2009

Based on meticulous research on participation in U.S. elections dating back to 1788, this important new work provides comprehensive turnout statistics for general and primary elections for presidential, congressional, and state gubernatorial races. Extensive graphs and tables detail over two centuries of trends:

Turnout data presented in 20-year periods

Voter turnout by party affiliation

State level data

Voter turnout—the percentage of eligible citizens who cast ballots in a given election— offers insight into the health of American democracy at any given moment in time or over a span of years. Ideal for elections scholars and researchers at academic, community college, and public libraries, Voter Turnout in the United States will be a must-have reference for those interested in American elections and civic participation in politics.

Key Features

Annual state-by-state voter turnout statistics date back to the early years of the republic during the rise of mass electoral behavior

Turnout for presidential, U.S. Senate and state gubernatorial elections, plus aggregate state-level data for U.S. House elections

Election law changes that impact voting trends

Figures and graphs with aggregate trends in participation rates over time