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Election day is tomorrow, and if there’s anything Republican and Democratic activists can agree upon, it’s the importance of voter turnout. And according to the WalletHub website, folks in this fair state are among the most politically engaged in the country. Continue to count down the site’s political-engagement top ten, featuring illustrations, WalletHub data in assorted categories (including a comparison with voting by age that shows why senior citizens are such a reliable demographic) and methodology to explain how the numbers were crunched. To see the original post, click here.
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Number 10: Oregon
Education ranking: 19
GDP per capita: 12
Tax-fairness ranking: 2
Percentage of young citizens (18-24) who actually voted in the 2012 Presidential election: 51.1 percent (7)
Percentage of senior citizens (18-24) who actually voted in the 2012 Presidential election: 81.29 percent (6)
Number 9: Montana
Education ranking: 22
GDP per capita: 42
Tax-fairness ranking: 1
Percentage of young citizens (18-24) who actually voted in the 2012 Presidential election: 41.9 percent (23)
Percentage of senior citizens (18-24) who actually voted in the 2012 Presidential election: N/A
Continue to keep counting down the most politically engaged states according to WalletHub.
Number 8: Mississippi
Education ranking: 50
GDP per capita: 51
Tax-fairness ranking: 44
Percentage of young citizens (18-24) who actually voted in the 2012 Presidential election: 63.8 percent (1)
Percentage of senior citizens (18-24) who actually voted in the 2012 Presidential election: 82.2 percent (3)
Number 7: Iowa
Education ranking: 37
GDP per capita: 21
Tax-fairness ranking: 25
Percentage of young citizens (18-24) who actually voted in the 2012 Presidential election: 49.9 percent (10)
Percentage of senior citizens (18-24) who actually voted in the 2012 Presidential election: 82.95 percent (1)
Continue to keep counting down the most politically engaged states according to WalletHub.
Number 6: Maine
Education ranking: 26
GDP per capita: 45
Tax-fairness ranking: 18
Percentage of young citizens (18-24) who actually voted in the 2012 Presidential election: 42.8 percent (19)
Percentage of senior citizens (18-24) who actually voted in the 2012 Presidential election: 79.07 percent (8)
Number 5: Wisconsin
Education ranking: 28
GDP per capita: 27
Tax-fairness ranking: 27
Percentage of young citizens (18-24) who actually voted in the 2012 Presidential election: 56 percent (4)
Percentage of senior citizens (18-24) who actually voted in the 2012 Presidential election: 82.37 percent (2)
Continue to keep counting down the most politically engaged states according to WalletHub.
Number 4: District of Columbia
Education ranking: 1
GDP per capita: 1
Tax-fairness ranking: N/A
Percentage of young citizens (18-24) who actually voted in the 2012 Presidential election: N/A
Percentage of senior citizens (18-24) who actually voted in the 2012 Presidential election: N/A
Number 3: Minnesota
Education ranking: 11
GDP per capita: 14
Tax-fairness ranking: 7
Percentage of young citizens (18-24) who actually voted in the 2012 Presidential election: 59.4 percent (2)
Percentage of senior citizens (18-24) who actually voted in the 2012 Presidential election: 81.73 percent (4)
Continue to keep counting down the most politically engaged states according to WalletHub.
Number 2: Colorado
Education ranking: 3
GDP per capita: 18
Tax-fairness ranking: 13
Percentage of young citizens (18-24) who actually voted in the 2012 Presidential election: 56.1 percent (3)
Percentage of senior citizens (18-24) who actually voted in the 2012 Presidential election: 74.87 percent (15)
Number 1: Massachusetts
Education ranking: 2
GDP per capita: 6
Tax-fairness ranking: 19
Percentage of young citizens (18-24) who actually voted in the 2012 Presidential election: 49.9 percent (10)
Percentage of senior citizens (18-24) who actually voted in the 2012 Presidential election: 77.85 percent (10)
Methodology:
In order to find the most and least politically engaged Americans, WalletHub analyzed each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia across six key metrics. The data set is listed below. Two of the metrics — namely the percentages of “Citizens Who Actually Voted in the 2010 Midterm Elections” and “Citizens Who Actually Voted in the 2012 Elections”– received the heaviest weights, as these tend to be the strongest indicators of an individual’s civic participation.
• Percentage of Registered Voters in the 2012 Presidential Election: Full Weight
• Percentage of Citizens Who Actually Voted in the 2010 Midterm Elections: Double Weight
• Percentage of Citizens Who Actually Voted in the 2012 Presidential Election: Double Weight
• Change in Percentage of Citizens Who Actually Voted in the 2012 Elections compared with the 2008 Elections: Full Weight
• Total Political Contributions per Adult Population: Full Weight
• Civic Education Engagement: Half Weight
Source: Data used to create these rankings is courtesy of the U.S. Census Bureau, the Center for Responsive Politics, the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and WalletHub Research.
Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.
