Representational Bias in the 2008 Electorate reviews the story of who was eligible to vote, who was registered to vote, and who did vote in the 2008 general election. Analyzing the November Voting and Registration supplements of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey, the report offers detailed information on registration rates and voting behavior based on key demographic factors, including race/ethnicity, age, gender and marital status, income, education, residential mobility, and disability status. The report also provides registration and turnout rates for each state, with comparative rankings.

By comparing this data with those from other recent elections, the report presents a picture of the growing electorate in the United States, and identifies the changes in the extent to which participation in our federal elections is–and is not–representative of the population that is eligible to vote in America.

Download the Full Report:

Representational Bias in the 2008 Election. Douglas R. Hess & Jody Herman. November 2009.

Tables:

Table 1: Composition of Adult Citizen Population, Voters, Unregistered, and Non-Voters, 2008

Table 2: Additional Voters Had Parity in Turnout Been Achieved, 2008

Table 3: How Citizens Registered to Vote

Table 4a: Adult Citizen Population, Registration, and Voting by State, 2008

Table 4b: Adult Citizen Population and Registration by State, 2000, 2004, 2008

Table 4c: Voter Turnout by State, 2000, 2004, 2008

Table 5: Adult Citizen Population, Registration, and Voting by Race/Ethnicity, 2000, 2004, 2008

Table 6: Adult Citizen Population, Registration, and Voting by Gender, 2000, 2004, 2008

Table 7: Adult Citizen Population, Registration, and Voting by Gender and Marital Status, 2000, 2004, 2008

Table 8: Adult Citizen Population, Registration, and Voting by Gender and Age, 2000, 2004, 2008

Table 9a: Adult Citizen Population and Registration by Gender, Age, and Race, 2008

Table 9b: Adult Citizen Voting by Gender, Age, and Race, 2008

Table 10: Adult Citizen Population, Registration, and Voting by Annual Household Income, 2008

Table 11: Adult Citizen Population, Registration, and Voting by Education, 2000, 2004, 2008

Table 12a: Adult Citizen Population, Registration, and Voting by Residency Length, 2008

Table 12b: Residency Length and Race/Ethnicity, 2008

Table 13: Disability Status and Voting Behavior, 2008

Table 14: Percent of Race/Ethnicity in Demographic Groups with Low Electoral Participation, 2008

Figures

Figure 1: Demographic Groups as Percent of Adult Citizen Population and Unregistered Population, 2008

Figure 2: States Ranked by Voter Registration Rates, 2008

Figure 3: Composition of the Adult Citizen, Registered, and Voting Populations by Race and Ethnicity, 2008

Figure 4: Composition of the Adult Citizen, Registered, and Voting Populations by Gender and Marital Status, 2008

Figure 5: Composition of the Adult Citizen, Registered, and Voting Populations by Age Group, 2008

Figure 6: Turnout by Gender, Age, and Race, 2004 and 2008

Figure 7: Composition of the Adult Citizen, Registered, and Voting Populations by Annual Household Income, 2008

Figure 8: Composition of the Adult Citizen, Registered, and Voting Populations by Education, 2008

Appendix Tables

Appendix Table 1: Adult Citizen Population and Registration by State, 2002, 2006

Appendix Table 2: Voter Turnout by State, 2002, 2006

Appendix Table 3a: Adult Citizen Population and Registration by Gender, Age, and Race, 2004

Appendix Table 3b: Adult Citizen Voting by Gender, Age, and Race, 2004

Supplemental Tables

Supplemental Table on Standard Errors of Difference for Gender, Age, and Race Comparisons