Monthly Archives: April 2016

Voter Turnout in U.S. Presidential Elections

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Here are some interesting numbers regarding voter turnout.  Hopefully we can get more people to make their voice heard!!

Voter Turnout in Presidential Elections: 1828 – 2012

• V.A.P. = Voting Age Population
1) from 1972 includes citizens 18 years of age; 2) V.A.P. includes those ineligible to vote such as felons. Because of this, V.A.P. figures are naturally lower than if the Voting Eligible Population (V.E.P.) is used as the denominator.
• REG = Registered to Vote

Year
 Total V.A.P. Total REG* % REG of V.A.P * Turnout
% TO of V.A.P.
1828
57.6%
1832
55.4%
1836
57.8%
1840
80.2%
1844
78.9%
1848
72.7%
1852
69.6%
1856
78.9%
1860
81.2%
1864
73.8%
1868
78.1%
1872
71.3%
1876
81.8%
1880
79.4%
1884
77.5%
1888
79.3%
1892
74.7%
1896
79.3%
1900
73.2%
1904
65.2%
1908
65.4%
1912
58.8%
1916
61.6%
1920
49.2%
1924
48.9%
1928
56.9%
1932
56.9%
1936
61.0%
1940
62.5%
1944
55.9%
1948
53.0%
1952
63.3%
1956
60.6%
Year
 Total V.A.P. Total REG* % REG of V.A.P * Turnout
% TO of V.A.P.
1960
 109,672,000 63,854,789 * 58.22% 68,838,204
62.77%
1964
 114,090,000 73,715,818 * 64.61% 70,644,592
61.92%
1968
 120,328,186 81,658,180 * 67.86% 73,211,875
60.84%
1972
 140,776,000 97,283,541 * 69.11% 77,718,554
55.21%
1976
 152,309,190 105,024,916 * 68.96% 81,555,789
53.55%
1980
 164,597,000 113,036,958 * 68.67% 86,515,221
52.56%
1984
 173,936,000 124,184,647 * 71.18% 92,652,842
53.27%
1988
 182,628,000 126,381,202 * 69.20% 91,594,809
50.15%
1992
 189,044,000 133,821,178 * 70.79% 104,426,659
55.24%
1996
 196,498,000 146,211,960 * 74.40% 96,277,634
49.00%
2000
 205,815,000 156,421,311 * 76.00% 105,405,100
51.21%
2004 215,694,000 174,800,000 * 79.00% 122,295,345 56.70%
2008 225,499,000 TBD TBD 131,313,820 58.23%
2012 235,248,000 TBD TBD 129,085,403 54.87%

*Note: Total REG data is incomplete or unavailable in some states, making it appear in some years as though more people voted than were registered to vote. From 1976 through 2004, this is due to the fact that North Dakota does not have voter registration, and in Wisconsin eligible voters may register to vote at the polls.

Sources:
(1824-1956) – Lyn Ragsdale, Vital Statistics on the Presidency (Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Press, 1998), 132-38.
(1960-2012) – Compiled by Gerhard Peters from data obtained from the Federal Election Commission.

Democracy Spring

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Here is an article from Fair.org covering “Democracy Spring.”

Protests Against Money in Politics Hold Little Interest for Beltway’s ‘Political Junkies’

Democracy Spring protesters (image: Democracy Now!)

Democracy Now!‘s coverage (4/12/16) of the Democracy Spring protests against money in politics.

More than 400 people were arrested in a non-violent sit-in on Capitol Hill April 11, many having marched 150 miles from the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. The protest, calledDemocracy Spring, is about ending the influence of big money in politics and ensuring free, fair elections through things like restoring the Voting Rights Act. The next day, another 85 mostly elderly people were arrested, many chanting, “Democracy is not for sale, [we’re] not too old to go to jail.”

Seems like a story. And wait, yes, there it was in the Washington Post—in the Metro section, page B3…in the brief items…after the one about the 10-year-old boy hit by a car riding his bike, after the one about the man who got two years for tax evasion….

Yes, there: 150 or so words on the arrests, with the Post saying the organizing group seeks to prevent “what it called ‘voter suppression.’”

As of April 14, the New York Times had yet to report in print on the demonstrations and mass arrests in the nation’s capital. Research by The Intercept (4/12/16) noted that cable news, with all that time to fill, also took a pass. As of April 12, CNN had done nothing, MSNBC mentioned the protests for approximately 12 seconds, while Fox Newsgave them about 17 seconds. Later CNN (4/12/16) put a short item on its website.

On Democracy Now! (4/12/16), organizer Kai Newkirk said the protests posed a challenge for anyone running for office: “Are you going to stand on the side of democracy and on the side of the people, or on the side of big money and corruption?”

One has to wonder why Beltway reporters, self-proclaimed political junkies, have such a profound lack of interest in following that line of inquiry.

‘Wake up worrying’: NextEra-Hawaiian Electric merger in doubt as regulators near decision time NextEra has failed to inspire Hawaii energy stakeholders, but the merger proceeding isn’t a popularity contest

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Aloha Everyone,

Just wanted to provide you with an update on our last teach dealing with the possible merger between NextEra and Hawaiian Electric.  Check out this article from Utility Dive:

‘Wake up worrying’: NextEra-Hawaiian Electric merger in doubt as regulators near decision time

Maui County Community Farmland Initiative

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Aloha Everyone,

I wanted to relay some information I received in the mail last week.  It was from the Maui County Community Organic Farmland Initiative.  Here is the link to their website: Maui Community Organic Farmland Initiative.  They will be holding town hall meetings at various places around the island.  The organization hopes to add an initiative to the ballot this November that will allow the public to purchase agricultural lands and turn them into locally-owned organic farms.  I encourage you all to check the website.  This initiative provides a solution to how the sugar cane lands may be used.  I will give 3 extra credit points to students who attend any of these town halls.