Wednesday, April 25, 2001
|
Wednesday, April 25, 2001 |
|
Fayette leads in voter turnout Fayette County led the state of Georgia in voter turnout during the November 2000 election, according to statistics released by Secretary of State Cathy Cox. Among the most notable trends, according to Cox, was that blacks and young adults made up a higher percentage of the electorate than in 1996. Black Georgians cast 23.2 percent of the ballots last November, up from 21.2 percent in 1996. Participation among those in hte 18-24 age group, who typically have by far the lowest levels of turnout, also grew somewhat since 1996, from 5.6 to 6.8 percent of the electorate. Political parties, educators, candidates and elections officials throughout the nation have been exploring new ideas and initiatives to increase youth registration and turnout. While the new data confirms that voting by the young still far trails that of older citizens, Cox said the 2000 data offers some cause for optimism that youth voting may begin to improve. Overall statewide turnout was slightly under 69 percent, a significant increase from the 61.5-percent tally in 1996. Turnout among white registrants was 71.4 percent, and among blacks it was 62.8 percent. Female voters continued to significantly outnumber males. Women cast 55.4 percent of the ballots in last year's general election, an increase of about one percent since 1996. The data also shows that, up to age 65, turnout increases with age, with some 81 percent of registrants age 60-64 turning out to vote in last year's presidential contest. The Credit for Voting report is generated based on more than two and a half million entries of voter history by voter registration officials in all 159 counties. Georgia's statistical summary of who did and did not vote in the election is believed to be one of the most detailed in the nation.
|
||