voter turnout

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Republicans Work State by State to Change Election Laws

Reducing turnout is main strategy, though one state considers letting legislators overturn presidential results

(Newser) - Across the nation, supporters of former President Trump are working to pass state legislation changing laws to limit access to voting and give them more control over election outcomes. With a rallying cry about the presidential election having been stolen from Trump, and basing their plans on the premise that...

Midterm Turnout Broke Record
Midterm Turnout Broke Record
Nov 16, 2018 1:09 AM CST

Midterm Turnout Broke Record

It was highest since women got the vote in 1920

(Newser) - Americans were definitely fired up for this year's midterm elections: Turnout was almost 50%, the highest for a midterm since 1914—which the BBC points out was so long ago it was six years prior to women gaining the right to vote. The 49.2% turnout rivaled that of...

In Cruz vs. Trump, One Iowa Number Matters Most

More voters means better chances for Donald, and there's a tipping point

(Newser) - Despite Ted Cruz trying to shame Iowa residents into coming out to vote in Monday's caucuses , he may not want too many of them to show up, unless he knows for sure they're voting for him. Per Politico , voter turnout will prove critical in the race between him...

Group Will Give $10K to Random Voter

'Icky' Philadelphia scheme aims to boost turnout

(Newser) - A nonprofit group is throwing in $10,000 to sweeten the deal for potential voters in Philadelphia for whom the joy of taking part in democracy might not be enough. Voter turnout in the city has been declining for a long time and sank to just 27% in a mayoral...

This Year's Voter Turnout Was Embarrassing
This Year's Voter Turnout
Was Embarrassing
OPINION
Nov 12, 2014 1:17 PM CST

This Year's Voter Turnout Was Embarrassing

New York Times editorial complains of lowest in 7 decades

(Newser) - Turnout is usually off in non-presidential elections, but this year's numbers were "abysmally low," carps the New York Times in an editorial. In fact, they were very nearly historically low. You have to go back 72 years to find a worse percentage for national turnout—this year'...

Surprise: Turnout Up Despite Voter ID Law

Bryan Preston thinks Democrats' fears have been debunked

(Newser) - Democrats have been warning loudly of the dangers of Texas' voter ID law. But "if voter ID was intended to suppress votes, it is failing as spectacularly as HealthCare.gov," writes Bryan Preston at CNN . Texas uses its off-year elections to approve or reject certain constitutional amendments. In...

Voter Turnout Down From 2008
 Voter Turnout Down From 2008 
Nov 7, 2012 9:15 AM CST

Voter Turnout Down From 2008

Blame Sandy and the nasty political climate

(Newser) - Early figures suggest that fewer voters showed up to cast a ballot yesterday than in 2008, despite long lines at the polls, reports the AP . Vermont saw a decline in turnout greater than 14%, and South Carolina and Mississippi were nearly as large. In most states, numbers look lower than...

Mandatory Voting: 'Absurd, Cynical, Repugnant'

Jonah Goldberg weighs in; plus, Sasha Issenberg's idea

(Newser) - To say that Jonah Goldberg disagrees with Peter Orszag—who recently called for compulsory voting —is a bit of an understatement: In the Los Angeles Times , Goldberg calls the idea of mandatory voting "absurd, cynical, and repugnant." The fact that Orszag and other Democrats are pushing for...

How Mega Millions Can Save Our Political System
How Mega Millions Can Save Our Political System
OPINION
Apr 24, 2012 4:49 PM CDT

How Mega Millions Can Save Our Political System

Combine Election Day with a lottery: Norman Ornstein

(Newser) - Nearly half the adult population of the US took part in last month's Mega Millions lottery, giving Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute an idea on how to "transform" our political system: Enter voters in a lottery. If people have the chance to win big by voting,...

Dems Doing Just Fine in Early Voting

But Republicans say they're pleased with early results, too

(Newser) - For all the talk of a Republican "wave election" and an enthusiasm gap, Democrats are pretty pleased with early voting results. Millions have already cast ballots in the 2010 election, and Democrats say their $20 million voter turnout program is bearing fruit; in Iowa, for example, the percentage of...

Defeat All but Certain for Japan's Aso, Ruling Party

Sunday election likely to end 54 years in power

(Newser) - Sunday will likely mark a milestone in Japanese politics as voters dump the Liberal Democratic Party after more than a half-century in power, the Washington Post reports. Even senior LDP leaders acknowledge that Yukio Hatoyama will probably trounce incumbent Prime Minister Taro Aso, and polls predict a staggering turnout with...

Voter Board: Hey Tim, Wanna Do a PSA?

Actor hasn't minced words in aftermath of Election Day polling snafu

(Newser) - The New York City Board of Elections, headed up by a man Tim Robbins has termed a "corrupt scumbag," is reaching out to the prickly actor with an offer he might well resist—turn his Election Day voting tantrum into a civics lesson. TMZ reports that the board...

GOP Will Bounce Back: Rove
 GOP Will Bounce Back: Rove 
OPINION
Nov 13, 2008 9:50 AM CST

GOP Will Bounce Back: Rove

Democratic wave was aberration caused by unusual factors

(Newser) - Voters didn’t so much choose liberalism or the Democratic Party as they did Barack Obama, writes Karl Rove in the Wall Street Journal. And that’s potentially good news for the GOP in the 2010 midterm elections, Rove says: “In politics, good years follow bad years. Republicans...

Massive Voter Turnout Not So Massive After All

Election sees only a modest increase in participation among eligible voters

(Newser) - Contrary to hype about massive turnout on Election Day, roughly the same percentage of eligible voters hit the polls in 2008 as in 2004, reports Politico. While a record number of ballots were cast—up to 128.5 million votes— the increase in the percentage of eligible voters in the...

Turnout Looks to Hit Century High

130M headed to polls as trends favored Obama

(Newser) - Though the official percentage isn’t in, yesterday saw what could have been the highest voter turnout in a century, the Wall Street Journal reports. One expert foresaw 64% of Americans casting ballots, the AP notes, as some 30 million voted early, with 100 million more thought to have stormed...

'I Have Never Seen Anything Like This'

Huge turnout gums up voting system, but most Americans take it in stride

(Newser) - Huge turnout caused long waits for some voters today, but most politely waited their turn, the AP reports. New Yorkers lined up at polling places well before dawn, and long lines persisted throughout the day. California’s voting system bent but did not break under the weight of estimated 80%...

Why the Polls May Be Wrong
 Why the Polls May Be Wrong 
Oct 30, 2008 6:08 PM CDT

Why the Polls May Be Wrong

Use of cell phones, unexpected turnout could skew results

(Newser) - Opinion polls can be wrong—just look at Thomas Dewey in 1948 or even Barack Obama, who led Hillary Clinton before the New Hampshire primary but lost anyway. Reuters outlines some factors that could be skewing current results:
  • Turnout: Polls filter the results of phone surveys through models of who
...

Texts Much More Effective Than Robo-Calls
Texts Much More Effective Than Robo-Calls
Analysis
Oct 28, 2008 1:39 PM CDT

Texts Much More Effective Than Robo-Calls

For now, texts are much more effective than robocalls, email

(Newser) - The candidates’ automated call campaigns have received a lot of attention, but text-messaging, which only the Obama campaign uses, is likely to have a much more potent effect on the race, writes Farhad Manjoo for Slate. Studies have shown that personal appeals are more effective at mobilizing voters than mailers...

Ignored Hoosiers May Turn Blue
 Ignored Hoosiers May Turn Blue 
ANALYSIS
Oct 20, 2008 2:25 PM CDT

Ignored Hoosiers May Turn Blue

Obama is within striking distance in typically Republican Indiana

(Newser) - Indiana has voted Republican 16 times in the past 17 presidential elections, so why is Barack Obama even bothering to run ads and rally? The state that favored George W. Bush over John Kerry 60-39% is showing surprising support for Obama—enough that he could scrape out a win, ...

Why Obama Wants 2 Txt U His VP Choice
Why Obama Wants 2 Txt U His VP Choice
OPINION
Aug 13, 2008 11:14 AM CDT

Why Obama Wants 2 Txt U His VP Choice

Campaign builds huge database for Election Day, writes webmaster

(Newser) - Barack Obama's decision to announce his running mate by text-messaging supporters makes him seem "just like the cool kid in study hall," writes Garrett M. Graff in the New York Times. But there's more to the text blast than just embracing new technology. The move will give Obama...

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