ACTIVE, ENGAGED CITIZENS

"Citizen participation is critical to our representative democracy." Jesse Ventura

The success of our representative democracy depends on an active, engaged citizenry. Unfortunately, voter turnout has dropped dramatically nationwide as people have grown distrustful of politicians and our political institutions. While our elected officials are certainly responsible for creating an open and fair system, it is up to citizens to stay involved in their government. Voting is the most basic measure of citizen involvement. Increasing voter turnout will help to improve citizen participation and rebuild trust between elected officials and citizens. Goal: At least 70% voter turnout in every election!

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Achieve 70% State voter turnout

Maintain #1 national rank in voter turnout

Increase percentage of voters who register to vote on Election Day

Achieve 70% State voter turnout

Note: The measure of state voter turnout in Minnesota elections is tabulated by the Secretary of State's office, using standards provided by the Federal Elections Commission. Turnout refers to the total vote cast for the highest office on the ballot. For this indicator we compute voter turnout by the percent of the "Voting Age Population" (VAP) that cast a ballot. Voting age population is defined as all persons over the age of 18, as defined by the United States Bureau of Census.

Maintain #1 national rank in voter turnout

Note: The Federal Elections Commission (FEC) reports a comparative ranking of states for voter turnout. The ranking is based on total voter turnout of VAP. Minnesota ranked first in voter turnout among the fifty states in 2000, 1998 and 1992. Since 1960, Minnesota has never ranked lower than third in voter turnout among the states.

Increase percentage of voters who register to vote on Election Day

Note: The percentage of voters who register on Election Day is reported by the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State. The same day registration law was created in 1974 in an effort to make registration less cumbersome for citizens and to boost participation rates. Minnesota is one of few states in the country to allow for same-day voter registration. Any Minnesotan who can present proof of residency can register to vote at the polling location on Election Day.