Just looking at voter turnout statistics

[captain queeg]

Back in the 60s turnout was over 60% starting with the 70s we’ve never quite hit 60, always mired in the 50s. I predict we’ll have the highest turnout ever in modern history, though you can be assured the rethugs will try to make it difficult.

[OAITW r.2.0]

1. While the Republicans are fucking with the USPS, lots of urban area, especially sports complexes,

are opening up to support voting. So Trump and the briantrust may have awakened a sleeping giant in ways that they never expected.

[onetexan]

5. in deed, Lebron James' group "More than a vote" is really helping this effort

https://nba.nbcsports.com/2020/07/02/lebron-james-voting-rights-group-converting-arenas-into-polling-places/

Teams Hawks, Pistons & Bucks are among those who are on board:
https://www.npr.org/2020/07/02/886566523/need-a-polling-place-with-social-distancing-3-nba-teams-offer-venues

[unblock]

2. Hyper-partisanship hurts voting participation

The vote really matters in only in states where it's close.

Well, of course, people should care about senators and representatives as well, but then again those races are s as Lao often foregone conclusions.

This year, Biden has expanded the map and more states are in play, so that will help. Also, Donnie has turn this into an election for the ages. People will want to tell their grandkids who they voted for in the great election of 2020 that saved or destroyed democracy.

But really, we need major reform in our electoral process to get participation back up. Majority vote across the nation would certainly help...

[Igel]

3. Remember how voting's changed since then, as well.

In the '60s there was one day. Absentee ballots were more restricted.

No early voting. No extended hours. No mail voting. And until the VRA, there were impediments to African-Americans' voting (but that would have been reflected in voter registration).

Now there's certainly easier voting, whatever people say. At the same time, more people are registered and it's harder to make sure that the voter rolls are closely aligned with the voting population, what with needing to carry names on the rolls for years after they die or move away.

Easier to vote should push higher participation.

Increased voter registration would reduce the number.

"Voter turnout" is a fishy number. It's like COVID case loads, you can tinker with them within limits by altering the measuring tool available. "Votes cast as a percentage of eligible population" is harder to come by, but better.

I mean, seriously, my old precinct had more voters registered than it had population--not "eligible population", but total population. They hadn't cleaned their voting registration log for 20 years. I moved in 1999, and I was still registered to vote there.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

4. I worked at National Airport in Washington DC from 1969 to 1979.

I recall election days in those years, even the off year elections. With no early voting, no absentee voting, election day was very strange. A lot of people who would normally travel that day didn't, or they left in the afternoon or evening, after they'd voted. People who commuted returned to vote. A completely strange pattern compared to every other day of the year.

Even now, there are several states (Pennsylvania comes to mind) that have no early voting. So depending on how easy it is to get absentee/mail-in ballots, how many people will be willing to stand in line for many hours just to vote?

Also, purging voter rolls is important. I ran for office in 2004, and did door-to-door campaigning with voter lists in hand. I cannot tell you how often I'd have a whole bunch of people with different surnames registered at one address. When I knocked and inquired, there would be two, maybe three voters there, and everyone else had moved away years ago. Basically, if you haven't voted in six or eight years, you probably don't live there, or if you do, you should vote every so often.