In spite of all of the problems encountered during the 2000 presidential election, one fact shines through. The voting rate of registered voters rose significantly in 2000 up to 86 percent from the all time low of 82 percent in 1996.
It is no wonder that candidates for office are always pushing to increase voter registration. A recent report released by the Census Bureau entitled Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2000 shows that people who are registered tend to actually vote. The peak year for voting by registered voters was 91 percent in the presidential election of 1968.
The three criteria in this country for voting eligibility are age, citizenship and registration. In 2000, 55 percent of the voting age population actually voted in the election. This translates into 111 million people. Using the citizenship requirement increases the turnout rate up to 60 percent because it excludes all non-citizens of voting age in that statistic.
Registration is the real key to voter turnout. Of the 130 million registered voters in the country, 111 million voted.
In 1993, Congress passed the Voter Registration Act. This act, known as the Motor Voter Act, was signed into law by former President Bill Clinton and supports the premise that the right of citizens to vote is fundamental, and the state, city and county and federal governments should prove that right by encouraging voter registration. This legislation allowed citizens to register to vote in many locations, such as departments of motor vehicles and health clinics in order to make it easier to register.
Organizations such as the League of Women Voters, The Urban League, LaRaza and the NAACP have all conducted voter registration programs, which also helped push up registration numbers.
The University of Oregon, through its Program for Governmental Research and Education, worked with a variety of nonprofit organizations and The Pew Charitable Trusts to develop programs to inform and encourage young people to become engaged in the electoral process.
There has been a steady decline in the participation of 18 to 24-year olds since 1972, when the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18. In the 1996 general election the national rate of participation for this group was only 32 percent, and in 1998 even lower at 28 percent.
County governments which believe that if people are registered there is a greater chance they will vote and participate in local governance, have taken voter registration into their own hands with several special programs targeted towards newly eligible young adults.
Cook County, Ill. created a youth voter registration program called Make a Difference and Vote — Young People Can be Heard. The program was developed because voting by young people between 18 and 24 years of age was lower than other age groups. Through research they found the dominant reason for this is not apathy, but transient living situations because many young people may be away at college or moving every year or two.
Registration and voting are just too much of a hassle. The outreach effort under this program included registration at colleges in the area and local concerts.
Baltimore County, Md. conducted a similar program for its county elections. By using college offices of student activities, they made voter registration applications available in many locations on campuses. They also used these college facilities to post time tables and deadlines for coming elections.
Your Voice, Your Vote is a high school voter registration program started in Salt Lake County, Utah in 1991. By using an on-site voter registration drive during lunch time at each high school, the county clerk and the County Youth Council offer eligible high school students the opportunity to register. They also encourage their active involvement in the election process.
