Minnesota is well-prepared for record voter turnout on Election Day
SAINT PAUL, Minn.―Oct. 31, 2008―Secretary of State Ritchie today said Minnesota is well-prepared for record voter turnout on Election Day. He attributes this readiness to the removal of a number of unnecessary barriers to voting by his office and careful preparations made by county and local election officials, including the hiring and training of over 30,000 election judges. In addition, high voter interest has been fueled in part by highly visible candidates who inspire the electorate.
"For two years I have traveled the state speaking to many Minnesotans about the importance of participating in democracy," Ritchie said. "Last summer, our office set an ambitious goal of 80 percent turnout of eligible voters for this year's election in Minnesota. We have worked hard to reach this goal and to keep Minnesota number one in the nation in voter turnout."
The last time Minnesota achieved 80 percent turnout was 1956 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower defeated challenger Adlai Stevenson. To reach our "80 in 08" goal, 2.99 million Minnesotans must cast ballots in this election.
This has already been an election year for the record books. Due to the tremendous voter registration efforts by political parties, civic organizations, religious groups and others, we have reached an all-time high. As of today, there are 3,199,307 registered voters. The total number of voter registrations thus far in 2008 is 337,792, with over a third being new registrations and the rest were address or name changes. Over half of the new registrations were young adults. As of today, there are 597,758 registered voters ages 18-29.
In addition to voters who have pre-registered, election officials are expecting hundreds of thousands of voters to register at the polls on Election Day. In 2004, 581,904 Minnesotans used Election Day Registration, of those 235,851 were new registrations.
The Office of the Secretary of State has been busy all year working to reach this voter turnout goal, partnering with county election officials and others to conduct voter outreach and education activities. In addition, this office provides a free, easy-to-use Web site that helps voters find out where they vote, information about candidates who will be on the ballot, and general information about what to expect on Election Day. With our Election Day Registration system, voters who have not pre-registered can do so at the polling place on Nov. 4.
"Minnesota has long been recognized as the national leader in both turnout and election administration." said Ritchie. "Thanks to the hard work of tens of thousands of volunteers and local officials, all Minnesotan's will be able to vote with ease and security on Nov. 4."
Voters with any question can visit the secretary of state's Web site at: www.sos.state.mn.us.
ADDITIONAL STATISTICS:
ELIGIBLE VOTERS
2008: 3,741,514
To achieve 80% turnout: 2,993,211
VOTER REGISTRATION
2008:
Total number of registered voters: 3,199,307
Total registrations processed this year: 337,792
New registrations: 138,154
2004:
Total new registrations before Election Day: 160,135
ELECTION DAY REGISTRATION
2004:
Total Election Day Registrations: 581,904
Total New Election Day Registrations: 235,851
YOUNG VOTERS
Total number of 18-29 year olds registered: 597,758
New this year: 89,897
2004:
New in 2004: 88,58
