Chart of the Day: Applying Demonstrated Preference in US Elections

The following chart presents the US voter turnout during Presidential elections since 1964

chart from Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research/Timothy Taylor’s Blog

Writes economist Timothy Taylor,

The youngest group of voters from age 18-24 have seen a rise in turnout recently, especially from 2000 to 2004, and there is a more modest rise in turnout for some other age groups. But all elections since 1988 have had lower turnout than that year; in turn, 1988 had lower turnout that the presidential elections from 1964-1972.

I see the chart as a reminder of a basic truth: Elections aren't decided by what people say to pollsters. They are determined by who actually casts a vote.

Lesson: Watch what people do as they represent choices from their values and preferences rather than what they say. This applies to everything, not limited to politics.