New NVEN Report: America Goes to the Polls 2008

2008 has seen a virtual explosion in voter participation. Turnout in this year's primary elections reached levels not seen in well over 30 years. America Goes to the Polls 2008, a brand-new comprehensive report from the Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network, compiles state-by-state data on this phenomenon, examining turnout in the 2008 presidential primaries and caucuses and charting its unprecedented increase since 2004 and 2000. The report ranks all 50 states by total 2008 primary turnout as a percent of voting eligible population, paying particular attention to turnout disparities between primary and caucus systems, to rapidly-expanding voting blocs (such as young voter and Latinos), and to the impact of certain state-level election reforms.

America Goes to the Polls reports that:
A- Over one in four (28%) of the country’s eligible voters participated in a primary or caucus.
B- Election Day Registration and Early Voting were likely factors in higher turnout for many states.
C- The participation of voters aged 18 – 29 doubled or tripled in almost every state.
D- The Latino vote is continuing its recent upward trend, doubling or nearly doubling in some states.

To download the report, click here. To request a printed copy, please contact NVEN by email.