In 1992, Oregon had 1.5 million voters registered for their primary election and voted 758,000 of them for a 49.1 percent turnout rate. In 2000, Oregon had 1.8 million registered voters for the primary election and 927,000 of them voted, increasing by 169,000 voters. That is more than a 22 percent gain in just the raw number of voters participating. Voter turnout in America has declined because Americans are disengaging from all traditional societal activities. There are fewer people in pews at the churches.
Parents spend fewer actual hours with their children.
Spouses spend fewer hours talking to each other than before. All of us spend more hours with our employment than before. We have simply disengaged from anything not work related. While voter turnout is not the responsibility of America s elections officials and should never be, it is important that we be open to change ideas that lead to better participation. It is also important to recognize when those changes do not work as planned.