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Transparency: Obama's Effect on Voter Turnout

In the months leading up to the 2008 presidential election, there were big questions about Obama's potential impact on voter turnout. As...

Gavin Potenza
By Gavin PotenzaAug 19, 2009
Gavin Potenza
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In the months leading up to the 2008 presidential election, there were big questions about Obama's potential impact on voter turnout. As someone who appealed to both black voters and young voters (two groups who historically don't have high levels of voter turnout), would Obama be able to motivate these groups to vote for him in record numbers? A new study from American University has examined which states had an increase in turnout, as a percentage of eligible-not registered-voters. Our latest Transparency is a look at whether states with large black populations and populations between the ages of 18 to 24 were the states that registered the biggest bumps in turnout.SOURCES: American University's Center for the Study of the American Electorate; U.S. CensusA collaboration between GOOD and Gavin Potenza.

voter turnoutamerican universitypresidential electionelections and politics

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