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Voter turnout in the Southern states increased the most between 2004 and 2008, possibly due to African-American voters. Overall, there has been an increase in voter participation in presidential elections, with 57% voting in 2008. Involvement in civic issues and gender can also predict voting behavior. Only half of eligible Native Americans voted in 2008.
While the largest U.S. voter turnout in the 2008 election was in the Midwest, the largest increase in voter turnout in the election between 2004 and 2008 was in the Southern states. Analysts suggest the upward trend in the South is due to African-American voters entering elections for the first time. There has been an overall increase in the percentage of voters participating in presidential elections over the past decade: In 1996, only 49% percent of eligible voters actually voted. That number increased to 57% in 2008.
Read more about voter turnout:
One predictor of whether a person will actually vote is whether they are involved in civic issues. If a person is concerned about changing the law or public order, they are more likely to vote.
Between 2004 and 2008, women were more likely to vote than men.
In 2008, only about half of all Native Americans who were eligible to vote did so.
