Turnout shaping up to be lower than 2008 (and 2004)

AP (Yahoo News) ^ | 11/7/12 | Josh Lederman

[RightGeek]

A drop in voter turnout in Tuesday's election didn't keep President Barack Obama from winning a second term in the White House.

Preliminary figures suggest fewer people voted this year than four years ago, when voters shattered turnout records as they elected Obama to his first term.

In most states, the numbers are shaping up to be even lower than in 2004, said Curtis Gans, the director of American University's Center for the Study of the American Electorate. Still, the full picture may not be known for weeks, because much of the counting takes place after Election Day.

"By and large, people didn't show up," Gans said.

In Texas, turnout for the presidential race dropped almost 11 percent from 2008. Vermont and South Carolina saw declines that were almost as large. The drop-off was more than 7 percent in Maryland, where voters approved a ballot measure allowing gay marriage.

With 95 percent of precincts reporting, The Associated Press figures showed more than 117 million people had voted in the White House race, but that number will go up as more votes are counted. In 2008, 131 million people voted, according to the Federal Election Commission.

[RightGeek]

Unbelievable. There are sins of omission as well as commission.

[mgist]

59 Million people voted for McCain in 2008, and 56 Million people voted for Romnet in 2012? Makes no sense.

[headstamp 2]

Voter alienation. They figure they can’t change anything anymore so don’t bother voting.

I run into people like this all the time now.

[TexasFreeper2009]

face it, many conservatives stayed home again, because conservatism wasn’t on the ballot.

[cotton1706]

These turnout figures don’t mean anything anymore. With all the voter registration drives that just add names to the lists, there’s no way to tell if they really reflect apathy or what.

[DJ MacWoW]

I’m not buying what Obamas lapdogs are selling. My rural precinct ran out of ballots. The MSM lies but you believe them NOW?

[Doctor 2Brains]

Truly stunning. WE didn’t care. WE conservatives did not turn out. Words fail me.

[wiseprince]

I posted something similar on another board and I think this is a relevant story

the US will be Canada in that it won’t matter who wins, voter turnout will eventually begin to drop (probably 45% participation rate) because the vast majority will finally realize it doesn’t matter who wins. Nothing will be different, well, maybe around the edges. Canada is just an advanced democracy and what that means is multiple parties that argue around the edges with a population that doesn’t care, for the most part. See your future

[Paradox]

Voter fatigue. I ran into many of such people. Just tired of politics, all the ads on TV. When that happens, the race will go to the superior GOTV efforts. The Democrats are MUCH better at that then the GOP. That is probably the bottom line. You can talk principles and ideals all you want, but it all depends on who actually gets their people to vote, and they do it much better than we do.

[struggle]

Perhaps someone needs to compare the states using electronic votes to paper scans.

[ubaldus]

At the end, when they finish counting in CA and WA, and also total the absentee ballots in some states, it will be Obama 61.5 mil, Romney 58.5 mil votes, or very close to that.

Note that McCain (or should I say Palin) got 60 mil votes, and W in 2004 got 62 million.

Romney was a weak, unispiring candidate, he did not get the voters to the polls, he was worse than McCain.

[The Sons of Liberty]

I’ve heard that “Evangelicals” stayed home. I guess they’d rather have a muslim than a Mormon.

[DownInFlames]

2008:

OBama 69,297,997
McCain: 59,597,520

2012

Obama: 54,773,837
Romney 53,716,689

Looks like a whole lot of voters stayed home.

[kabar]

Republicans are dying out as the the WWII generation ebbs away and they are not being replaced in equal numbers.

[mgist]

From my perspectives conservatives were fired up. Early voting polling results reported much higher amounts of Republicans at early voting, the DEM numbers were significantly down, Independents were breaking for Romney, the Romney political rallies were full. Early voting and election day the lines were endless in Florida.

It simply doesn’t make sense that after all the added unemployment and government abuse, that suddenly 3 Million conservatives were simply not interested in voting in 2012, but voted in 2008.

[DJ MacWoW]

The MSM will tell you anything you want to hear in order to convince you that Obama won......just like Chavez won.

This thread is an excellent example of why the people don't march on Washington and why NOTHING will change.

[kabar]

Those figures are outdated as the counting of votes continues. It is now Obama 59,631,249 votes compared to Romney's 57,000,976 votes.

Yes, a lot of voters stayed home but far more stayed home for Obama than Romney.

[LMAO]

I confess that I did not vote for Romney.I couldn’t see myself casting a vote for another liberal. But, the GOP could have run Reagan or Goldwater and it would not have mattered. Free birth control and food stamps won the day

[joesbucks]

I’ve heard that “Evangelicals” stayed home. I guess they’d rather have a muslim than a Mormon.

Bingo. The purists re-elected the Muslim.

[joesbucks]

I’ve heard that “Evangelicals” stayed home. I guess they’d rather have a muslim than a Mormon.

Bingo. The purists re-elected the Muslim by sitting out.