FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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Mike Bergman | CB04-121 | ||
Public Information Office | |||
(301) 763-3030/457-3670 (fax) | Detailed tables | ||
(301) 457-1037 (TDD) | |||
e-mail: pio@census.gov | |||
Record Numbers Registered and Voted in 2002 Election, |
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A
record number of people for a nonpresidential election, 128 million, registered
to vote in the 2002 congressional elections. Another record number, 89 million,
reported they voted in the elections, according to a report released today
by the U.S. Census Bureau.
About 123 million people were registered to vote in 1998, the previous all-time high. The previous record turnout was 86 million in 1994. Reported turnout by registered voters was 69 percent in 2002, higher than the 68 percent who cast ballots in 1998. The report, Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2002, said most of the rise in both the number of people registering and voting since 1966 (the first nonpresidential election turnout surveyed by the Census Bureau) resulted from the increased number of people 18 and over in the nation’s population. In 1966, 79 million people were registered to vote and 63 million voted. People who are older, married or have
at least a bachelor’s degree, and women were more likely to vote,
according to the report. Among registered nonvoters in 2002, about 27
percent reported they did not vote because they were too busy or had conflicting
work or school schedules. Excluding North Dakota, which has no voter registration, Maine and Minnesota had the highest levels of voter registration in the country at about 80 percent. The states with the highest voter turnout rates were Minnesota and South Dakota, at around 67 percent each. Other highlights:
The data in the report are from the November
2002 Voting and Registration Supplement to the Current Population Survey
(CPS). Statistics from surveys are subject to sampling and nonsampling
error. As discussed in greater detail in the report, the CPS estimate
of overall turnout (89 million) differs from the “official”
turnout, as reported by the Clerk of the House. -X- |