Voter Registration

The 2008 Presidential Election is going to be remembered as one of the most monumental elections in our country's history not just because of the possible implications associated with its winner, but because of its ability to make the American public care enough to want their voices to be heard. According to the Census Bureau, over 142 million people (72.1% of the eligible voting public) were registered to vote in the 2004 Presidential election. While this number may appear high or low depending on your feelings on public apathy, it actually represented a sizable increase from the 2000 and 1996 elections where registration numbers were 129.5 million (69.5%) and 127.6 million (70.9%) respectively. What makes the the 2008 election truly historical is the fact that 184 to 187 million people or 80% of citizens over 18 years old have registered to vote.


Such a considerable increase in voter registration shows that Americans understand the issues at hand and believe that the winner of the election will ultimately take steps to resolve our country's problems. The United States can go in many directions on issues like the economy, foreign relations and energy. Whether people have registered because they are concerned about one issue or the sum of all the issues, it is clear that they want their opinions to be accounted for when the final decisions are made. The idea that Americans appear more knowledgeable and engaged in the voting process also suggests that the candidates and the media have done a better job reaching different segments of the population and educating them on key positions and issues than during elections of the past. This speaks to the fact that technology and media advances has increased the ways in which people can receive information. With more focused, specialized programming and advances like Youtube and blog sites like the one you are currently reading, Americans are now exposed to a much higher level of information than they ever were in past.


Clearly, such an increase in registered voters and the reasons behind the increase are meaningless if those registered voters don't actually go to the polls and vote on November 4th. However, this increase clearly represents a significant change in our country's political atmosphere and shows that more and more people care about the direction in which our country is headed. Hopefully, this atmosphere of political engagement lives beyond the short term and that the achievements of this election can be carried into elections in the future.



http://www.census.gov/prod/2006pubs/p20-556.pdf