Minnesota is tops in voter turnout, census finds

05/27/2005

Eric Black, Star Tribune
May 27, 2005

The Census Bureau has confirmed Minnesota’s ranking as the voting-turnout champ among the 50 states.

Results of a massive national survey indicate that 79.2 percent of Minnesotans voted in November, giving Minnesota the top spot over runner-up Wisconsin, with 78.2 percent.

The lowest turnout was in Hawaii, with 50.8 percent.

Nationally, the Census Bureau found that 63.8 percent of eligible voters went to the polls.

Breaking down the data by age, Minnesota had the nation’s highest turnout among younger voters. By ethnic group, Minnesota had the highest turnout nationally among non-Hispanic whites, second highest among blacks, sixth among Hispanics and ninth among Asians.

According to the survey, the top three turnout states were Minnesota, Wisconsin and Maine, with North Dakota and New Hampshire tied for fourth. The bottom five: Hawaii, Tennessee, Georgia, Texas and West Virginia.

Because they are based on surveys (and because more people say they voted than actually did) the census data exaggerate voter participation, according to Curtis Gans of the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate.

The best measure of turnout is the number of actual votes cast as a percentage of all citizens older than 18, Gans said. That data has been available for several months.

It shows a nationwide turnout of 60.7 percent of all voting-age citizens, the highest participation since 1968, but lower than the census figure of 63.8 percent.

The committee’s figures agree with the census that Minnesota was the turnout champ, but with a slightly lower turnout of 77.3 percent.

Also, in the committee’s state-by-state analysis, Wisconsin (with 73.9 percent turnout) falls from second to third place and Maine (with 75.3 percent) moves up to second.

The committee data also show Minnesota has been the turnout leader in the past three presidential elections and in seven of the past eight. (In the census survey, where non-voters can claim to have voted, Minnesota was third in 2000.)

The census survey, which does not count certain military personnel, is considered the most reliable for turnout figures broken down by age and race. According to those data, turnout was up in 2004 among blacks and non-Hispanic whites but flat among Hispanics and Asians.

Gans also said Minnesota’s turnout last year was the highest by any state in any election since 1968.