Voter Participation

Measure

Number of voters who participated in the most recent general elections

Why is this indicator important?

In general, people who register care about what happens in their community and nation.  A higher percentage of eligible voters who are registered is thought to indicate a higher interest of the population in governance.  The actual number of registered voters who vote or "turn-out" provides a measure of the overall interests in government actions on voting day.

Historically, the percentage of people actually voting is less than the number of people registered to vote, which is less than the number of people eligible to vote.  If outcome measures are to identify meaningful behaviors, both the percentage of people who believe it important to register and the percentage who believe it also important to vote need to be looked at together.

How are we doing in Hall County?

• Voting and registration rates historically have been higher in years with Presidential elections (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008) than in the "off" years.
• Hall County ranked in the top 50% of the state in the percent of registered voters voting in the 2008 General election.
• In the 2008 general election, 76.0% of Hall County registered voters participated compared to 76.0% in the state.
• According to the Georgia Secretary of State's Voter Registration System, Hall County had 81.837 registered voters as of May 1, 2009.

What does research tell us we can do to improve this indicator?

• Eliminate voting barriers, such as ensuring disability and language access
• Provide voter registration opportunities in more locations and at various hours
• Provide better procedures at the polls and poll worker recruitment and training
• Provide better opportunities to vote, such as early voting or "no-excuse" mail-in or absentee voting
• Provide more voter education in schools