This Memorial Day, let's examine voter participation rates

*Appeared in the Laurel Leader-Call newspaper.

A few months back, a friend of mine suggested I look into voter participation rates. As we approach Memorial Day weekend, I thought now was the appropriate time to dive into voting patterns to see just how much we, as a society, take for granted the right to vote. 

I’ll give you a hint: We take it for granted – by a wide margin. 

In 2020, 66.7 percent of the eligible voting population in the United States voted during the presidential election.  That means of the people eligible to vote, just two-thirds actually exercised their right to choose the nation’s chief executive.  The highest voter turnout by state was 80 percent in Minnesota.  Compare that to Mississippi’s turnout of 60.2 percent and you’ll start getting an idea about how much voters care – or, perhaps, do not care – about elections. 

These numbers are estimates based on information from the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office as well as the United States Election Project. To determine the voting eligible population (VEP) in a state, the Census Bureau first identifies the voting-age population (VAP), which is essentially all residents 18 years and older, and then subtracts ineligible persons from that number, such as non-citizens or felons (depending on state laws). 

During the last presidential election, an estimated 1.325 million voters out of a possible 2.2 million voters went to the polls (hence the 60.2 percent turnout rate).  Said differently, more than 876,000 Mississippians who were eligible to vote in 2020 chose not to exercise that right. 

That’s inexcusable, but it isn’t just a Mississippi problem.  The M.I.T Election Data and Science Lab suggests that states with higher turnout rates in presidential elections tend to be in the north while states with lower turnout rates tend to be in the south. 

Factors influencing voter behavior include electoral competitiveness (that is, just how close is the political race?); the type of election (whether it’s a general or primary election, for example); and demographics such as age, race, gender, and income levels. 

So, yes, I understand there are reasons more complicated than “just not caring” about the electoral process that individuals have for not voting.  (My millennial experience tells me that folks my age and younger feel their votes don’t matter, but of course one need not look much further than the recent election of District 2 Justice Court Judge Sonny Saul…he won by one vote!)

As we celebrate this Memorial Day, I hope each of us will give more than a passing thought to our responsibility to those fallen soldiers who died to protect our rights, including the right to vote. Laurel residents and other city-dwellers can start by participating in municipal elections, which are right around the corner (June 8th).