62% of eligible voters turned out in the last presidential election, a 40 year record. Comparable turnout has not been seen since the Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson elections of the 1960s. Although turnout has gone up, there is still room for growth. More than one out of every three eligible voters did not participate in the 2008 Presidential Election. Increasing turnout in the future will depend upon election reforms such as expanded voter registration, better early voting and greater electoral competition (public financing, ranked choice voting, etc.).
Minnesota once again led the nation in voter turnout with an impressive turnout of 78%. Minnesota and several of the other top ranking states were early adopters of Election Day Registration, which allows voters to update their registration with a new address or last name or register to vote for the first time at their polling place on Election Day. Four of the top ten states in voter turnout have some form of Election Day Registration.
North Carolina led the nation in improvement in turnout compared to 2004 with an increase of 10.8%. North Carolina combines a form of Election Day Registration with early voting, providing voters with "one stop" early voting. A record setting 57% of North Carolina's voters chose to vote early this year, no doubt contributing to North Carolina's improvement compared to 2004.