Bob CollinsMinnesota can be pretty proud of itself again now that preliminary statistics show that the state has likely led the nation in voter turnout.
About 74 percent of the eligible voters cast ballots on Tuesday, the Star Tribune reports today. That puts us a little ahead of New Hampshire and that’s impressive because the Granite State had a statewide election; Minnesota didn’t.
Seventy-four percent of eligible Minnesotans voted. But that’s down from the last election, which was down from the election before that.
Had we matched 2012’s turnout, another 78,000 people would’ve voted.
78,000.
Nationwide, according to the United States Election Project, the turnout was only 56.9%.
We haven’t heard from the 78,000 since Tuesday’s vote. We don’t know what they were doing instead and today would be a good day to ask them.
The chances are that they complain their vote didn’t count, or that the candidates for presidents simply didn’t suit them, a massive declaration of ignorance since the entire Minnesota House of Representatives hung in the balance, and so did a large share of the Minnesota Senate.
We’ve heard from the happy voters and the angry voters. Let’s hear from you today, 78,000. Tell us about your life and whether you think civic disengagement is a way to improve it.
