Census figures show 36.8 percent turnout

By Chris Wetterich
Staff writer

The nation experienced a record voter turnout during the 2002 primary election, but that trend did not extend to West Virginia, which finished dead last in the percentage of voters who went to the polls, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report released Wednesday.

In 2002, the state had 827,000 registered voters out of 1.37 million eligible adults over the age of 18. Of those, 507,000, or 36.8 percent of eligible voters, went to the polls.

In the United States, there are 210.4 million eligible adults, with 128.2 million being registered. In the 2002 election, 88.9 million, or 42.3 percent of eligible voters, went to the polls.

Minnesota and South Dakota finished at the top, with 67 percent of eligible adults voting. Virginia finished right above West Virginia with 37.2 percent voter turnout.

One of the reasons for the low turnout is the lack of hot races on the ballot, said Cindy Smith, elections chief for Secretary of State Joe Manchin.

“We didn’t have any constitutional officers and no presidential candidates on the ballot,” Smith said. “There really were not any big races that spur a lot of public attention.”

All of West Virginia’s constitutional officers, including the high-profile governor’s race are elected during presidential election years.

U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller was on the ballot in 2002, but he demolished his opponent, Jay Wolfe, 67 percent to 33 percent. The only other races on the ballot were for state legislative and local offices.

Seven of the top eight states in voter turnout in 2002 had both gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races on the ballots.

West Virginia’s turnout was slightly higher than it was in 1998, the last midterm election. That year, 35.9 percent of the voting-age population turned out. West Virginia finished ahead of five other states.

West Virginia’s turnout during midterms has hovered between 35 percent and 40 percent during midterm elections since 1978. In 1982, the state experienced a 20-year high, with about 48 percent voting.

In 2000, a year when all of the state’s constitutional officers faced voters, along with U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd and the presidential election, turnout was 52 percent.

There has been discussion in the Legislature of moving some of the elections for constitutional officers to the midterm election in order to boost voter turnout, but nothing has come to fruition, Smith said.

To contact staff writer Chris Wetterich, use e-mail or call 348-3023.