https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE Expo
    • Calendar of Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Administration


Article

Miderm election voter turnout lowest since WWII

Miderm election voter turnout lowest since WWII

Experts say voter turnout for this year's midterm election was lackluster, may be the lowest it's been since World War II.
  • Written by Derek Prall
  • 10th November 2014

While some state and local governments are still working to make counts official, many experts agree voter turnout for last week’s midterm election will be the lowest it’s been in over half a century.

“We're probably going to have the lowest-turnout election [nationally] since 1942. It's that bad. And that was in the midst of World War II when people couldn't vote because they were off at war," Michael McDonald, a political science professor at the University of Florida who specializes in voter turnout, told the Los Angeles Times. 

Perhaps more surprising than the low turnout is the fact that it came despite the billions – that's right, billion with w "b" – spent on congressional races this year. 

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, an estimated $3.63 billion spent on congressional races. That figure does not include the billions spent on adds for ballot measures and local elections.

However, the picture is more nuanced than broad-sweeping meager turnout. Preliminary figures show an uneven picture across the country, with variances among states with hotly contested races, where voter turnout did increase, according to The Los Angeles Times. And although Democrats lost overall in the polls, they managed to boost their numbers over 2010 in key states – namely North Carolina, New Hampshire and Colorado.

But voter turnout was particularly low in California, Vermont and Indiana.


Al Jazeera America reports that in California, only 21.4 percent of eligible voters showed up at the polls – down 22.6 percent from the 44 percent that showed up in 2010. To look at it another way, 5.2 million ballots were cast in California, down from more than 10 million cast in 2010. 


Vermont also hit a record low. About 43.7 percent of eligible Vermonters voted Tuesday, the Burlington Free Press reports. That’s seven-tenths of a percentage point below the previous low of 44.4 percent in 1978. The state’s largest city, Burlington, reported a 32.2 percent turnout. “We threw an election and nobody came,” Darry Sragow, a veteran Democratic political strategist based in Los Angeles, told the news agency.

Indiana’s turnout was likely the lowest in state history, according to The Indianapolis Star, which reports preliminary counts show turnout falling somewhere between 29 and 35 percent. The previous low was 39 percent in 2002, according to data going back to 1954.


But not all polling places were ghost towns. In states with more competitive races, “we actually had fairly robust turnout,” McDonald told The Los Angeles Times. “If we were to look at where the campaigns were spending money and trying to encourage their supporters to vote, we do see higher turnout in those states.”

Of those that voted, 52 percent backed Republican candidates for congress, while 47 percent voted for Democrats, according to a Pew Research Center report. 

Gender played a role in choice of candidate, Pew reports. Men favored Republicans by a 16-point margin (57 percent for GOP candidates, 41 percent for Democrats. Women favored Democratic candidates by a four-point margin (51 percent to 47 percent.)



Age was also a factor. Voters ages 65 and older made up 22 percent of the voting block. Voters under 30 made up just 13 percent. The largest block of voters, those 45-64, made up 43 percent, and 30-44 year olds made up 22 percent. Older voters heavily favored GOP candidates, while younger voters favored Democrats.

_____________

To get connected and stay up-to-date with similar content from American City & County:
Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter
Watch us on Youtube

 

Tags: Administration News Article

Most Recent


  • White House publishes climate resilience framework, announces more than $500M for resilience projects
    While communities across the United States scramble to recover from the impact of increasingly devastating natural disasters—and prepare for whatever comes next—the federal government is taking unprecedented steps to guide local governments through a first-ever White House Climate Resilience Summit and its National Climate Resilience Framework. “In just the first eight months of the year, […]
  • Advocacy organizations call for congressional action ahead of looming federal shutdown
    The political spat that’s frozen congressional action on the budget, potentially leading to a government shutdown if an agreement isn’t reached by midnight Saturday, could create ripple effects felt far beyond the jurisdictional lines of the United States Capitol. If a shutdown happens, ‘nonessential’ federal government functions would hault. Federal employees wouldn’t receive paychecks. Benefits […]
  • How governments can help older adults age in place during a housing crisis
    As a shortage of 6.5 million homes confronts the nation, the population of the U.S. skews increasingly older. The lack of affordable housing, compounded with the growing population of Americans over age 65, means that older adults who desire to age in place are finding it much more difficult to stay in their communities. The […]
  • Report: Younger employees working in public service are stressed over their jobs, worried about debt
    The COVID-19 pandemic pushed many older workers out of their public service jobs and into early retirement—contributing to the start of the ongoing ‘great resignation’ economic trend while leaving a knowledge gap that’s not easy for younger generations to fill. New research from the MissionSquare Research Group sheds light on the experiences of these younger […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Lessons from your friendly neighborhood public service employees
  • Harris County deploys next-generation security in 150 public buildings
  • How local governments can get ahead of the infrastructure wave: Strategies to mitigate risk
  • Prioritizing rapid restore leads to stronger ransomware attack recovery

White papers


7 Resources to Level-up Your Federal Grants Administration and Compliance

5th September 2023

Elevator Phone Line Replacement Strategy | A Guide to Reliable, Code-Compliant Solutions

29th August 2023

2023 State of Public Sourcing Report: The Bright Future of Public Procurement

23rd August 2023
view all

Webinars


Grant Preparedness: Unlocking Funding Opportunities for Your Success

10th August 2023

2023 State of Public Sourcing: Taking Local Governments into a Bright Future

1st August 2023

Stop Playing with Fire: How to Manage Infrastructure Asset Risk So You Know You’re Covered

20th June 2023
view all

PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

GALLERIES


10 of the leafiest city capitals in the United States

2nd October 2023

10 Safest Cities from Natural Disasters

29th September 2023

Gallery: Hottest temperatures recorded in American cities during July

12th September 2023
view all

Twitter


Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.