The US Census published a report on voting in America last week that was the usual \u2013 the nation\u2019s voters don\u2019t go to the polls as often as they should and in some parts of the country, like New York, and for some age groups \u2013 mainly young voters \u2013 the turnout has been dreadful.<\/p>\n
According to the report, about two-thirds of eligible Americans voted in the last Presidential election.\u00a0 The older the age group, the more likely they were to vote.\u00a0 In 2012, for example, the voting rate for the 65 years and older group was over 70 percent.<\/p>\n
The report identified one surprising finding:\u00a0 The phenomenon of elderly Americans voting at higher rates than all other age groups is a fairly recent development in American elections. Between 1964 and 1992, voting rates for the 65 years and older group were either lower than or not statistically different from at least some other age breakdown. In 1964, for example, the oldest group of Americans actually voted at a lower rate than younger voters between 25 and 64-year-olds. \u00a0It was not until 1996 that the oldest voting rates surpassed those of all other age groups, a development that has remained consistent in every presi\u00addential election since.<\/p>\n
Clearly, the voting patterns set by then-younger voters in the 1960s and 1970s have continued as that voting group has aged.<\/p>\n
Voting rates have also historically varied according to gender. \u00a0In every presidential election since 1996,women have voted at higher rates than men. \u00a0Most recently in 2012,the spread was about 4 percentage points.<\/p>\n
And that gender gap has been consistently present for most age groups, particularly young voters. \u00a0In elections from 1964 through 2012, young<\/em> women between the ages of 18 through 29 voted at higher rates than young men of the same ages. \u00a0In each election since 1996, women have voted at higher rates than men for all age groups except in the oldest age group<\/em>.<\/p>\n For elderly Americans, a gender voting gap has operated in reverse, with men 65-years-of-age and older voting at higher rates than women in every election since 1996, although that difference has been shrinking in recent elections.<\/p>\n When the report examined voting rates at the state level, it found that young voters, either those aged 18 through 24 or aged 18 through 29, have been less inclined than other age groups to turnout at the polls. \u00a0According to the report, young adults \u2013 those between the ages of 18 and 24 \u2013 had an anemic turnout rate, with a mere 45 percent voting in 2012.\u00a0 However, young-adult voters have tended to be more engaged in states with older popu\u00adlations that are highly engaged as well.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the reverse was true.\u00a0 New York State, for example, which has had lower than the national average voting rates, has low turnout rates from its younger voters.<\/p>\n In 2012, New York State voters over the age of 30 had a 63 percent voting rate \u2013 lower than the national average.\u00a0 New York\u2019s younger voters \u2013 those between 18 and 29 \u2013 had a voter turnout rate of 42 percent, lower than the national average as well.<\/p>\n So, why do some states \u2013 like Mississippi, Minnesota, and Wisconsin (which had the highest voting rates) \u2013 have higher voter turnout?\u00a0 While it\u2019s not 100 percent clear, there are policies that seem to encourage higher voter turnout.\u00a0 Most notably, three of the four top performing states allow voters to register and vote on Election Day and allow voters to get absentee ballots without having to provide an excuse as to why.\u00a0 Neither option is available in New York.<\/p>\n In fact, despite the New York State constitutional requirement that no one can register to vote within 10 days of the election, lawmakers have made it even harder.\u00a0 State law goes beyond the constitutional limit and prohibits (in most circumstances) voters from registering to vote within 25 days of an election.<\/p>\n When it comes to younger voters, there are problems in New York as well.\u00a0 Despite a clear legal right to register from their campus addresses if they wish (in the same way as senior citizens can choose their voting address if they have more than one), localities sometimes challenge students\u2019 rights.<\/p>\n New York State \u2013 and the nation as well \u2013 should be developing mechanisms to allow easier voter participation.\u00a0 Voting is a constitutional right, not a privilege.<\/p>\n That\u2019s all for now.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be keeping an eye on the Capitol and will talk to you again next week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The US Census published a report on voting in America last week that was the usual \u2013 the nation\u2019s voters don\u2019t go to the polls as often as they should and in some parts of the country, like New York, and for some age groups \u2013 mainly young voters \u2013 the turnout has been dreadful. 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