Voting and Registration in the Election of 2004
http://www.census.gov/prod/2006pubs/p20-556.pdf
I searched to see if this report by the U.S. Census Bureau had been posted, and I didn't see that it had been, so I thought I'd post it. This report details important figures about registration and voting in the 2004 election. The data is broken down by age, race, gender, marital status, etc. The report also gives figures comparing the registration and voting of individuals native to the U.S. and those who became naturalized citizens. As we all hear how important the Hispanic vote will be in the 2008 election (due, in some part, to efforts to encourage legal permanent residents to apply for citizenship and then vote), I think we need to discuss the lack of voter participation by current citizens (citizens as of 2004 since the 2004 election is the focus of the report). We all know people in our own lives who decide not to vote for whatever reason, and we need to encourage these folks to educate themselves on the candidates and start partaking in our democracy by voting! It's important to note that many citizens eligible to vote in 2004 opted not to do so--the report states that 64 percent of voting age citizens voted in the November 2004 election, which leaves 36 percent not voting.
I just wanted to post the report link, because I think the information included is invaluable as we look towards November 2008 and future elections.
