Title: 2008 Voter Turnout - FactCheck.org
Headings: 2008 Voter Turnout
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2008 Voter Turnout
What Happened to All That Record-Turnout Hype?
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Content: But even when McDonald tallies those figures, and includes estimates for states that don’t report such numbers, the turnout creeps up to only 62.3 percent. McDonald’s figures are current as of Dec. 24 and are unlikely to change much. As he writes, “All states have now posted offical [sic] or certified results. There are a few minor outstanding issues that may revise these numbers slightly.” Minnesota, where the recount battle between incumbent Sen. Norm Coleman and comedian Al Franken has raged on for weeks, had the highest voter turnout, at 77.8 percent. Hawaii and West Virginia are tied for the lowest turnout, with 50.6 percent each. McDonald’s figures are also quite similar to early projections released two days after the election by American University’s Center for the Study of the American Electorate. CSAE’s report, based on tabulated votes by the Associated Press and some estimates, said that voter turnout was between 60.7 percent and 61.7 percent of eligible voters. The methodology used by McDonald and CSAE is not the same. For instance, they use different estimates for eligible voters, with CSAE employing a number that excludes non-citizens from the over-18 population in the U.S. and McDonald calculating a figure that also adjusts for felons who can’t vote and Americans living abroad.